


Phantoms of Orience

by Tempest_Type0



Category: Fabula Nova Crystallis: Final Fantasy, Final Fantasy Agito, Final Fantasy Type-0
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-22
Updated: 2019-07-24
Packaged: 2019-10-14 09:45:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 24,562
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17506259
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tempest_Type0/pseuds/Tempest_Type0
Summary: Another age, another war. War had always been part of Orience’s history, even at the dawn of the Peristylia. Bringing peace and order to such a world would be no simple task. Most believed that only the fabled savior, the Agito, could accomplish such a thing in this darkest of times. Even so, they were going to try.





	1. Then Shall a New Wheel Begin to Whirl

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After almost a year at war, Rubrum arrives at Cetme to attend a peace summit with Class Zero at the head of its governing power. But something awry stirs in Milites...

    “They’re here.”

    His low mutter drew the attention of his companion and she turned to look at him. Letting out a deep breath, the man turned to the sky with sharp, light blue eyes. The faint cries of dragons flying past overhead was just barely audible over the howling wind and snow that was natural to the region and the rustling of his short blond hair and the crimson mantle on his shoulders.

    “Were you expecting them earlier, Ace?” inquired his partner, raising a hand to push a few strands of her long, tied back brunette hair behind her ear. She then adjusted her mantle, one almost identical to his, except set around her neck and shoulders like a scarf instead of a cape. “Their dragons must have had a difficult time in this weather.”

    “They’ll need to set up camp before night comes,” he replied, his attention back on their own military camp. He turned to her with a knowing look, a slight smirk on his lips. “Milites is coldest this time of year, despite how you feel every time we come here, Deuce.”

    “I-It is always so cold!” she whined softly, her arms crossed tightly across her chest. “And I can’t hug you for warmth right now…”

    He chuckled. “You could, but people would take note of the commander of the army and the head ambassador being...intimate with each other.”

    “Mmm...they would,” she murmured, her cheeks growing slightly pinker from his words.

    Just then, a scout, clad in the hooded dull red cloaks of the dominion legionaries, jogged up the small hill they stood on overlooking the camp, approaching the couple. “Commander! Report for you!”

    “What is it?” asked Ace, turning to look at the scout.

    “We’ve confirmed that the Concordians have landed east of Cetme and have begun setting up their camp. It seems the Queen’s ambassador is accompanied by the Five Star Guard’s Hoshizaki Warden for the negotiations tomorrow,” said the scout, a report in his hands. “We’ve also noted that the Lorican army has finished setting up their camp to the north of Cetme. The Lorican King’s advisor and his ambassador have been sighted in the camp, but not the Lorican King himself.”

    “That’s expected. Neither the Concordians or the Loricans trust us or the Militesi. The Militesi may have started this war, but we haven’t exactly advocated peace either,” Ace answered, his face set in an impeccably trained neutral expression. “Any updates on the Militesi?”

    The scout nodded. “Yes, sir. Their army has camped out west of Cetme and have sent soldiers into Cetme to gather supplies. Also, the Militesi Emperor has been spotted in Cetme, along with his ambassador. It is likely they will stay in the military barracks in Cetme for the night.”

    Brow furrowing slightly, Ace watched as a man with dark red hair and a mantle like his began to approach from the main camp. “Who’s in charge of the army?”

    “It seems that General Raymond is the commanding officer present in the camp at the moment. We’re not sure if he is the only one sent to the peace summit or whether there will be more incoming. That is all for my report, sir.”

    “Okay. Finish scouting the area around Cetme and keep an eye on all of the camps,” instructed Ace. “We might be here for peace negotiations, but they are still technically our enemies until the documents are drawn up.”

    “Yes, sir.”

    With that, the scout jogged off again, just as the red-haired man reached the couple. “Ace, Deuce, everything looking good?”

    “Seems fine,” responded Ace, glancing over the camp once more before turning to look at the man again. “Did you need something, Eight?”

    “Nothing right now. The Chancellor wants to see us once Cater, Sice, and Nine get back,” Eight said with a shrug. “I can come up here and get you when it’s time if you want?”

    Eyes softening as he looked over at a shivering Deuce, Ace shook his head. “No, I think we’re done up here. Someone needs to be warmed up before we meet up with the others.”

    At his teasing words, Deuce blushed just a shade more. It was always a little jarring, how quickly Ace could transition from the stone-faced, serious commander of the dominion army to her caring, playful, and sometimes mischievous lover. But they had been together for as long as she could remember, their childhood comfort and support the foundation for their deep-seated trust and affection in their adulthood. She wouldn’t change anything about him.

    “Right, I’ll have Cater grab you two from your tent then,” Eight snickered. “Don’t, uhhh…start anything that will take more than half an hour?”

    “No promises.”

 

* * *

 

    Standing at the right hand side of the table head, Ace glanced over the group gathered in the war council tent. The twelve of them had been through much together, from their troubled childhood on the streets to their military training to where they stood now, primed to take over leadership in the Dominion of Rubrum. Their crimson capes marked them as the dominion’s most elite, Akademeia cadets of the strongest caliber, the legendary Class Zero.

    Deuce stood beside him quietly, hand entwined with his now that they were away from the eyes of the rank and file. Next to her stood Queen, a bespectacled woman with long, black hair and a knowing look on her face as she spoke with Eight beside her. At the end of the table stood Cater, Cinque, and Trey, the first twirling a lock of her short, flared, auburn hair around her finger in boredom and the second joggling her long, braided, ginger hair as she hopped up and down excitedly in her conversation with the far calmer Trey, who was putting a hand through his long blond bangs. Spiky coiffed dark blond hair just visible above the table, Jack sat relaxedly on the ground in his spot next to Trey, whistling a soft tune.

    “Oi, how much longer?” Nine asked impatiently, scratching at his unkempt, dark blond hair as he looked back and forth from Queen and Eight across the table to Jack and Sice beside him.

    “The old man is getting slow,” grumbled Sice, her arms crossed as she turned her head to Nine and then to King on her other side, the end of her tied up silvery hair rustling slightly with the movement.

    “The Chancellor was resting from our travel this morning,” said King, his long, slicked-back blond hair and furrowed brow giving him the appearance of the oldest in the group. “Just be patient.”

    Seven shrugged in her spot next to King and to the left of the head of the table. “He asked for the council once Cater returned from scouting. Eight, you did inform him that we were all ready, right?”

    “Of course. He said he needed to finish speaking with the Consortium and then he’d be over,” responded Eight. “Seems like they were arguing over terms of the negotiation...again.”

    “Don’t worry, kupo!” squeaked Moglin, their class’s moogle, from beside Ace. Like the rest of them, ze wore a black uniform and a red mantle, and hir dark red pom wobbled as ze spoke and put a light tan paw in the air confidently. “I’m sure the Chancellor will be able to smooth things over as he always does, kupo!”

    “Bah, that stupid baldy and that old know-it-all can shove it,” huffed Sice, the irritation clear in her voice. “They’re just pissed that we’re here and soon we’ll be replacing them.”

    “I do sometimes enjoy watching the Commandant interact with you, Ace,” King admitted, a small smirk on his lips. “In all my years, I’ve never seen a man turn red so quickly when talking to someone less than half his age.”

    Letting out a snicker, Ace shook his head. “Commandant Higato is well-decorated from his years of military service, but hardly a strategist. It doesn’t take much effort to fluster him.”

    Just then, the flap of the tent opened and Chancellor Khalia Chival VI strode in. The older man’s wrinkles, tired eyes, and gray hair and beard was a clear indication of his 62 years of age, though his strong stance and stride was reminiscent of a man far younger. “My apologies, young ones,” said the Chancellor as he took his spot at the head of the table. “The peace summit tomorrow understandably worries everyone in Rubrum, not just those of us here.”

    “Indeed,” agreed Queen. “What did you want to discuss, Chancellor?”

    “I felt that we should review the plan for tomorrow, given its...unusual circumstances for a negotiation,” the Chancellor said, the weariness clear in his voice. “And speak of our...future plans should things go awry.”

    “As you wish, Chancellor,” Ace answered. “At your will.”

    At that, the Chancellor gave a short laugh. “Very well. Sometimes it is hard for me to consolidate my memories of twelve feisty, incredibly resourceful, and rambunctious orphans on the street with the young adults that stand before me, trained and poised to be our nation’s next leaders.”

    He paused, a sense of pride rising in his chest as the expressions on each of the twelve softened at his words. Though they all had vastly different personalities and skills, Class Zero had proven themselves over the years he had taken them into his care, natural talents and trained discipline honing them into paragons of their respective jobs. The rest of the Consortium, the governing body of Rubrum, may not have agreed with him at the time, but he had no regrets when it came to the twelve of them.

    “As you know, our war with Milites has been going on for almost a year now. Concordia and Lorica have called a stop to it before the fighting envelops all of Orience, so we are here in Cetme for a peace summit. The emperor of Milites, Emperor Paradis, and I will be meeting with the Lorican and Concordian representatives to work out a peace treaty. The meeting will take place in Cetme’s town hall, starting from 0900 hours tomorrow,” the Chancellor stated, the group nodding in response. “Part of our agreement for the negotiations is that none of the military for any of the countries may be present, as to ensure no violence or assassination attempts. Only those involved in the negotiations are allowed to be present nearby during the summit. As such, Deuce and I will head to the town hall at 0800 hours.”

    “The agreement for peace negotiations states that we may escort you with military personnel, but that we must leave after you have been safely taken to the town hall,” Ace asserted, looking at the Chancellor and then Deuce. “Nine, Jack, Sice, and several of our best legionaries and cadets will escort you from the camp to the town hall in Cetme. Queen, Eight, and I have charted out patrol routes around Cetme and its town hall, all outside of the agreed-upon boundaries for the summit. We’ll have multiple rotating patrols until the negotiations are complete.”

    “My spies in Section 4 and Class Ninth will be positioned around Cetme,” continued King. “If anything untoward occurs, we will know and respond immediately. Be assured of that, Chancellor.”

    Nodding, the Chancellor gave a hum of approval. “I do not doubt any of you, King. There is no group to whom I would rather entrust the future of our country.”

    “Chancellor, scouts have reported that the Lorican King’s advisor Enkidu Uruk arrived with their ambassador, and the Hoshizaki Warden of Concordia’s Five Star Guard with their ambassador,” Ace added, eyes on Deuce as he spoke. “If that helps with preparing for the negotiations.”

    “It does,” said Deuce softly, squeezing his hand. “Lord Enkidu is a reasonable man, and the Hoshizaki Warden was a great advocate for peaceful compromise during the last border dispute. I’ll think on how to best appeal to them for the negotiations tomorrow.”

    The Chancellor smiled gently at the soft-spoken Deuce before his gaze steeled up and he frowned slightly at his next thoughts. “Very good. Now...let us speak of the possibility that something goes wrong at this peace summit…”

    “You mean, in case those Militesi end up attacking!” exclaimed Cater, crossing her arms in annoyance. “They’re the ones who started this war anyway. I still don’t get why they would agree to a peace treaty.”

    “They’ve been losing this war. We’ve outmaneuvered them at almost every battle and had minimal losses compared to them,” Eight answered, putting a hand to his chin thoughtfully. “That said, I wouldn’t put it past them to use this summit as a potential way to turn the tide of the war. The conditions in Milites are not sustainable as they are. That’s why they started the war.”

    “Eight’s right. Regardless of whether they come with pretenses of peace or not, we should be prepared for either case,” Queen proclaimed, her voice ever serious. “Perhaps we should even expect deception from them.”

    “Perhaps. But we can’t let our forces know that,” rumbled King. “The last thing we need is people possibly making preemptive strikes against them.”

    Heaving a sigh at the unpleasant scenario spoken of, the Chancellor closed his eyes briefly. “I trust you all to be prepared for that possibility. Now, we’ve talked about this before...If the negotiations should fail, I will have limited options for brokering peace. You must take up that responsibility...as the Societas Unitorum Pacis.”

    A tense silence fell over the group. As many times as they had this conversation with the Chancellor, none of them were completely comfortable with the idea. In a way, they had been preparing for forming the Societas all their lives, but the sacrifices they would have to make for it would be many.

    “Umm…Cinquey can’t remember what that is…” mumbled Cinque suddenly with a confused tilt of her head, breaking the silence. “What is that, Tre-Tre?”

    “Well, Cinque, the Great Orience War in 357 RG between the four sovereign nations of Rubrum, Concordia, Lorica, and Milites left the world in shambles. Every country drew resources from both the world and their people at increasingly larger and faster rates in order to fuel the war and compete with the other countries. With none of the nations willing to back down, Orience fell into a state of unprecedented deterioration and seemed doomed to be destroyed from war. In fact, based on historical accounts, the common people of that time believed Tempus Finis would be upon them as the war raged on,” explained Trey, a grim tone in his voice. “Seeking to prevent Tempus Finis, several key figures from each nation, all of them possessing a will to end the fighting and restore Orience to peace, formed the Societas Unitorum Pacis. The Societas forced a ceasefire and brought the leaders of the four nations together, creating the Pax Codex and the Fabula Pact. As you know, the Pax Codex—”

    “Anyway, Orience has seen multiple wars in the past twenty years,” sighed Queen, cutting Trey off before he could start rambling about treaties of old. “The non-aggression pledge from the Fabula Pact has been violated by all four governments over the years, while the Pax Codex’s regulations for declaring war and the treatment of civilians and POWs have all been flouted by Milites. Queen Andoria of Concordia has attempted to invoke these old treaties for the sake of peace during her reign, but unfortunately to no success.”

    Cinque gave a thoughtful hum. “So...we have to _make_ everyone play nice?”

    “Easier said than done, I’m afraid,” Seven responded, shaking her head. “Hence the need for the Societas Unitorum Pacis.”

    “Yes.” The Chancellor frowned, his features furrowing with age and concern. “And I am sorry for forcing this upon you, but I believe no others could succeed where you could. All of you have performed great deeds for Rubrum, achieved titles and accolades that others your age can only admire...truly, it must be you. Reviving an ancient order like the Societas will not go over well with currently conflicted governments, including our own Consortium…but you will be able to weather the struggles and hardships. I believe that.”

    “We’d be breaking away from the dominion…” muttered Eight solemnly. “Cut off from any resources or personnel that we would have had under the flag of Rubrum…”

    “It can’t be any other way,” King reminded them, putting a hand on the table. “The Societas can’t be bound to any nation...or perceived so—yet another obstacle to overcome.”

    “We’ll have our work cut out for us, that’s for sure,” Cater huffed, arms crossed. “No one is just going to up and accept us, even if we are Class Zero. Even though they should!”

    “Well, we don’t _know_ that we’ll have to do any of this,” Jack interjected, the lightheartedness in his voice and gestures a stark contrast to the serious atmosphere in the tent. “I mean, if the peace summit succeeds, then the fighting stops and we won’t have to be...the sosi-ehh...that thing, right?”

    “Heh, always the optimist, huh, Jack?” Sice huffed, waving her hand dismissively.

    Seven let out a sigh. “Let’s hope you’re right…”

    “I will provide what help I can should this come to pass,” the Chancellor reassured them. “However, you would bear most of the burden…”

    “Don’t worry, Chancellor. If we have to, we’ll do it,” replied Ace, the others nodding in agreement. “We’re prepared for it, after all.”

 

* * *

 

    “Deuce.”

    “Oh, d-did you need something, Ace?”

    Propping his head up on an arm, Ace moved to lay on his side in their cot, a mildly annoyed expression on his face as he looked at her. She had been pacing their tent ever since they returned from dinner, only pausing to change into her sleeping attire at his order. While he could appreciate her attempts at preparing—or perhaps over-preparing—for the negotiations in the morning, she would be pacing for most of the night if he didn’t intervene. That was the kind of dedication she had to her work. But it was getting late, and he needed her to rest, both for her sake and his.

    “For you to stop pacing and come to bed?”

    “But I...I’m not sure how to sway the Lorican ambassador to support our side of the negotiations!” she exclaimed, turquoise eyes wide with worry. “He’ll surely protest to our proposal for border enforcement at Big Bridge because it will affect trade with Milites!”

    “Then you’ll assure him that as long as the traders have the appropriate documentation and authorization, they will be able to cross the border without issue,” said Ace dryly. “Now come sleep.”

    Shaking her head, she let out an unsteady breath. “I’m not...I’m not ready. Everything… everything depends on the success of the peace summit tomorrow and I…”

    His eyes softened as she spoke of her concerns and he sat up, swinging his legs over the side of the cot. “Deuce...you’ll be fine. The Chancellor will be there with you. And even if he wasn’t, you would still succeed. You’ve done so many of these before.”

    “But I…”

    “You’ve worked hard to become head ambassador. You and Seven are Rubrum’s best at it. I’ve seen you talk our Consortium into agreement. And the other countries’ ambassadors can’t possibly be more disagreeable than them.”

    “There’s so much to consider for the peace treaty though…”

    The restless nervousness in her body would have been clear even if he hadn’t been intimately familiar with her demeanor and habits. He sighed, standing up and stepping across the floor to her before wrapping his arms around her waist from behind. Pulling her back against his chest, he watched as she placed her hands over his and then turned her head to look up at him, her body automatically and steadily calming in the presence of his own.

    “You will succeed,” he assured her sincerely, their eyes meeting. “Everything will be okay.”

    After a moment, Deuce looked away, gaze drifting over his shoulder and to their bed. “Ace, I…”

    “Don’t apologize. I’m here for you.”

    That guilty expression on her features told him exactly what she would have said, and she nestled into his embrace gratefully while he nuzzled the crown of her head. She felt his arms tighten around her and she let her body relax against his. There was nowhere she felt more safe and comfortable than in his arms, especially when it was so cold outside and in the tent.

    “Okay, bed,” she agreed softly, prompting him to give her a small grin.

    Carefully, he picked her up, her toes just a couple centimeters off the ground as he brought her over to their cot and placed her down on it. She settled in, pulling the covers over her legs while he sat down, his back to her as he reached over to turn off the main lamp. Once he brought his arm back, she placed a hand on his shoulder, catching his attention.

    Her hand slid along his neck to his cheek, his figure barely visible in the dim light of the safety lamp near the entrance of the tent. Leaning in toward him, she gently pressed her lips to his, smiling as he shuffled to move onto the bed fully and pull her closer. When they drew apart for air, she gave a happy murmur and let her hand drift to the back of his neck, keeping him close even as they laid down.

    “You’re an amazing diplomat, Deuce. Don’t ever doubt that,” he said in a low voice, stroking the small of her back reassuringly. “The Chancellor wouldn’t have asked you to go if he didn’t believe in you like the rest of us do...like I do.”

    “You’re the sweetest, Ace,” she whispered back, huddling closer to him with her cheek against his shoulder. “I’m just a little nervous. There’s so much that could go wrong tomorrow and…”

    “Nine, Jack, and Sice will make sure you and the Chancellor get to the town hall safely. You can just work your magic on the negotiation. Let me worry about the rest, hmm? ”

    “Still…I wish you could be with me tomorrow for the summit.”

    “Me too, Deuce. But you know I’m not allowed to be.”

    “I would feel better if you were though…”

    He sighed, understanding exactly how she felt, and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “You know if anything goes wrong, you can call for me and I’ll come for you. I promise.”

    “I know you will…”

    Wrapping his other arm around her, he pulled her on top of him, letting her comfortably place her cheek against his collarbone and her hand against his chest. “Relax for tonight. If you worry any more, I will have to distract you, Deuce,” he warned playfully, one of his hands wandering down her side to the curve of her hip. “Don’t blame me if the others come running in when they hear you.”

    “A-Ace!” Deuce blushed and gave him a scandalized look, even though she knew well that he was too busy snickering to pay attention to her embarrassed exclamation. That is, if he could even see her expression in the darkness of the tent. With a muffled whine against the crook of his neck, she gave him a light smack on the chest, earning more chuckles from her partner.

    Once his laughs began to taper down, he pulled her closer by the waist and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “You’re right. I’ll save it for tomorrow when you come back and I can have you all night. And we can be in our bed instead of this squeaky one.”

    Despite her protests, she was used to this kind of teasing from him; sometimes, she even enjoyed it. They had been an official couple for almost 8 years now, and far longer unofficially. There were very seldom disagreements between the two of them nowadays and they were much too familiar with each other’s mannerisms to truly be surprised by the other. As heated as her cheeks felt, she didn’t actually feel uncomfortable with his teasing, and he _had_ successfully taken her mind off the negotiations and relaxed her, even for just a few moments.

    “Mmm...that sounds nice. I’m looking forward to it,” she mumbled shyly, fingers lightly drumming against his chest.

    “...We should make a date of it,” he suggested after a brief pause, his tone no longer teasing but thoughtful. “I bet a break would be good for you after spending a day talking to those government officials. We could go to that restaurant you like in Aqvi, go back to Akademeia and take a walk along the sea...whatever you want...”

    His thoughtfulness warmed her heart and she snuggled closer to him. In truth, his kind and caring nature was one of the things that had made her fall in love with him. Despite his guarded appearance and stern demeanor toward everyone else—as befitting his status as the future commander of Rubrum’s army, she had always felt that he was a sweet, passionate, and sensitive soul. And their relationship over the years had only reinforced that. He never failed to give her that euphoric feeling that came with knowing how much he loved her and how much he wanted to make her happy.

    “...You’re too good to me, Ace,” she giggled, just loud enough for him to hear. “I’d love a date.”

    “Okay then, it’s a date,” he said with a half-grin, letting out a low grunt as she shifted slightly on top of him to curl her leg with his for warmth. “...You just tell me everything you want after the negotiations. I’ll make it happen, Deuce.”

    “I’ll be happy with anything you think would be good,” she responded, curling her fingers and letting them rest on his chest. “I always enjoy our dates.”

    A content silence fell over the couple, Ace lazily closing his eyes and nuzzling the top of her head. While it was common for them to end up talking into the late hours of the night, the importance of tomorrow’s summit weighed heavily on them both and neither wanted to continue talking about it. Eventually, the comforting thumps of his heart next to her ear slowly drew Deuce into a sleepy lull. In the haze of dozing, her worries about the next day started to creep up on her again, only to dissipate as she felt his arms tighten around her as if he could sense her fears returning and wanted to protect her from them. With a soft coo, she leaned up to kiss him, her lips pressing against the edge of his mouth in the darkness and causing his eyes to flutter open.

    “Mmm. As much as I enjoy your attention, Deuce, you should sleep. We have a long day tomorrow,” he muttered in an amused tone. “Come here. Goodnight kiss.”

    Holding back a giggle, she leaned a little further up, letting their noses brush before meeting his lips with her own. The hand he had on her back came up, lightly touching the back of her hair to encourage her to stay there just a little longer. Their kisses were always familiar, comforting, and he could feel the residual tension in her body start to melt away in response to that.

    “...I love you,” she murmured as they parted, wishing that she could see him more clearly in the darkness. “I love you so much, Ace.”

    “I love you too.”

   

* * *

 

    “So...you and Deuce are going on a date tonight after we get back, huh?”

    Eight shifted his gaze from the city visible in the distance from the hill he and Ace were standing on and grinned, his chestnut-colored eyes catching Ace’s lips briefly curling into a fond smile at the question. Even through the falling snow and the cloudy shade of the region, Eight could see the cross-armed Ace shuffle around every now and then, boots nudging the snow around and fingers failing at staying still as he tapped them against his bicep. Whether it was nervousness or excitement that fueled Ace’s almost uncharacteristic fidgeting, Eight couldn’t quite tell.

    “Yeah, so?” questioned Ace, the apathy of his words belying the anticipation in his body.

    “So? Is tonight _the_ night?”

    Letting out a huff, Ace rolled his eyes. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Eight.”

    “You know exactly what I’m talking about!” Eight declared in a hushed voice, taking a step closer to his pseudo-brother. “You’ve had that ring for...how many years now? Three?”

    “Three and a half. Ever since the Chancellor put us in these positions for training,” answered Ace with a sigh. “What’s your point?”

    “That you’re long overdue to propose to her, smart guy,” Eight retorted, giving Ace a light punch on the shoulder. “I mean, you two have been a couple since we were sixteen. How long are you planning to make her wait?”

    “We haven’t exactly had a lot of free time lately. There hasn’t been a good time,” muttered Ace after a pause, furrowing his brow. “But…”

    “But…?”

    Slowly, Eight’s eyes widened in realization as he watched a smirk make its way onto Ace’s lips. “...I suppose peacetime would make as good a time as any,” Ace commented, the mildly cheeky tone in his voice making Eight laugh. “Only hope she doesn’t figure it out beforehand.”

    “About time! Just keep your cool like you normally do.” Eight placed a brotherly hand on Ace’s shoulder, giving it a light shake before drawing his hand back and pumping his fist excitedly. “And any way it goes down, she’ll be beyond happy, right? It’ll be the best part of her day. Even above brokering peace for the whole world.”

    “Maybe,” snickered Ace, shaking his head slightly at Eight’s enthusiasm.

    “I bet everyone else is going to be super excited too, when they hear—”

    “Lord Commander!”

    Keeping his eyes on the city in the distance, Ace cleared his throat before addressing the legionary trudging up the snow behind them. Though he wasn’t looking in the legionary’s direction, a trained, hardened, all-business expression immediately graced his features on reflex as soon as he heard the call. “...Lieutenant, report.”

    “Lady Sice and Sirs Nine and Jack have returned to base camp,” said the legionary with a bow. “They report that the Chancellor and Lady Deuce were safely escorted to the peace summit and that the area around the town hall has been secured.”

    “Have the patrols found anything suspicious?” Ace asked.

    “No, sir. Everything seems calm at the moment,” the legionary answered, shaking his head. “The Militesi and Concordians arrived ahead of the Chancellor and Lady Deuce, while the Loricans arrived shortly after. By our estimations, the negotiations should have begun already.”

    “All right.” Ace placed a hand to his chin, a contemplative expression on his face as he considered the situation and racked his brain for any additional instructions for his troops. After a moment, he lowered his hand, placing it back onto his arm. “Make sure the patrols are running consistently. We should have people in every sector at any given moment. Until those treaty documents are finalized and signed, we can’t let anyone disturb the summit.”

    The legionary nodded in agreement. “Yes, sir. Any further orders?”

    “Not at the moment.”

    With that, the legionary bowed again and turned, trudging back down the snowy slope to the base camp and leaving the two men on the hill overlooking the area. Letting out a small laugh, Eight turned to continue looking at Cetme with Ace. “There’s never really a break as the commander of the army, is there?” remarked Eight, crossing his arms. “I don’t know how you do it.”

    “You and Queen help with the logistics and paperwork.”

    A wry smirk curled Eight’s lips. “That’s kind of my job as Head of Logistics. But you’re busier than either of us, even if you count the fact that Queen spends most of the day staring at phantoma for research. People are constantly asking things of you.”

    “That’s what happens when you’re in charge of an army during wartime.”

    All of the sudden, a beep in their left ears interrupted them and they tapped on their earpieces to hear King’s voice on their communication line. “Ace. Eight.”

    “What is it, King?” Ace questioned.

    “My spies are reporting something strange. The Militesi army appears to be packing up their camp and all their military units have started to move away from the city, including the border guard. Didn’t the negotiations just begin an hour ago?”

    Brow furrowing, Ace frowned and took a step forward as if to stare more intently at Cetme in the distance. “...Yeah...they did...Do we know who gave the orders for the Militesi to move out?”

    “Not for sure. General Raymond evidently left with a MA squadron this morning,” King rumbled. “Also...Marshal Cid Aulstyne was spotted moving toward Cetme from their camp.”

    “Cid Aulstyne…?” A sense of foreboding crawled up Ace’s spine and he clenched his bicep with his hand, drawing Eight’s attention. “Why? When did he arrive?”

    “We don’t know. No one saw him enter the camp. Strange, considering we had eyes on it all night and morning,” responded King. “...He’s at the outskirts of the city right now. It’s very likely he is headed toward the town hall.”

    Exchanging an understanding look with Ace, Eight glanced at the city once more and then turned to jog down the snow-covered hill toward the war council tent where King was. Ace let out a soft sigh, re-straightening his stance. “Eight is headed your way, King. Determine which sector Cid Aulstyne is walking through and have Eight get the patrol group there to intercept him. Send backup in the case of resistance. The agreement for the summit was no military within 1,000 meters of the town hall. If he breaches, take him into custody. Make sure they keep it as peaceful as possible. We don’t want to spark anything here.”

    “Okay. Our ambassadors may not be happy if it comes to that.”

    “I know. But we can deal with the complaints afterward. We can’t allow this summit to fail.”

    “Yeah.”

    “Any report on the Concordians and Loricans?”

    “Nothing out of the ordinary. Most of their troops are on standby, it seems. They’ve deployed a couple squadrons to guard the perimeter of the summit, but they’re not patrolling like we are.”

    Just then, Ace could hear Eight’s voice in the background of King’s audio feed and his fingers tensed against his arm. The appearance of Marshal Cid Aulstyne was definitely something he hadn’t anticipated and he couldn’t help a certain unsettling feeling in the pit of his stomach. Though Ace had never met the man in person, rumors and reconnaissance had given him a vivid impression of an engineering genius with an ambitious streak and a mind for war, and the charisma to gain enough support for such things. Rumor had it that Cid Aulstyne was even responsible for starting the war they were in.

    If Cid Aulstyne had intentions of disrupting the peace summit to continue the war, he would have to be dealt with immediately, Ace decided after mulling over the potential outcomes of his orders again. Deuce and Seven would worry about how the act of forcibly arresting the Militesi Marshal would reflect on Rubrum in the wake of the peace talks. But surely the Concordians and Loricans would understand his perspective in this matter, especially since Rubrum was the only army that was actively patrolling the city during the negotiations.

    “Sector 14, respond!” Ace heard Eight shout in the background of their communication line and he tensed, listening intently.

    “What?” came King’s voice shortly after. “Did he…?”

    Heart starting to pound with concern, Ace spoke again. “What’s going on?”

    “The...the squad we sent to intercept Cid Aulstyne…” started Eight.

    “...My spies say they’ve been killed,” King said tersely. “And Cid Aulstyne is still approaching the town hall.”

    “That…!”

    Resisting the urge to jump down from the hill and run to the city himself, Ace took a deep breath and let it out slowly. They needed to act in response to this. He couldn’t just let this egregious attack go. But he had to approach this carefully. They were still in the midst of a delicate situation between the nations and his actions would certainly be scrutinized afterward.

    “King, have your spies deliver messages to the Concordian and Lorican main camps and warn them about Cid Aulstyne. They need to stop him or at least buy us the time to get forces in there to arrest him. Eight, get the others and mobilize the squads from Class First through Fifth. Have Queen mobilize squads from the other Classes as backup. We move out in five minutes.”

    “Understood,” King answered before Eight spoke again.

    “Did Deuce take her COMM this morning? You should warn her.”

    “Yeah, but she’s silenced it for the meeting. I’ll send a signal to her and hopefully…”

    His heart clenched. He didn’t want to think about her being blindsided by an attack. They had all been trained in combat, despite their respective jobs, so she wouldn’t be completely defenseless if Cid Aulstyne managed to reach the town hall and attack. But the Chancellor was there too. She would have to defend the Chancellor as well. And with how easy Cid Aulstyne took out the legionary patrol, it would be a fight, even with the Concordian and Lorican representatives there.

    It was too dangerous. She needed to get the summit members out of the town hall and away before Cid Aulstyne found them. They were almost certainly the targets in this attack. For what reason, Ace could only speculate at the moment. But it didn’t matter. They had to get away.

    “Ace! The Concordians and Loricans are reporting the perimeter has been breached!” Eight announced, his normally calm voice strained with alarm. “Their guards at the perimeter are dead.”

    “We need to go. Now.” Ace reached into his satchel, pulling out a card from his deck. “Are the squads prepared, Eight?”

    “No, we need another couple minutes!”

    “I should be there…” Ace hissed to himself, head starting to throb with the thoughts that were racing through his mind. “Damn it, I should have gone with her…”

    “Ace…?”

    Deuce’s voice on the COMM stopped his thoughts altogether and he sighed in relief. “Deuce!”

    “I-Is something the matter, Ace? I asked to take a brief recess from the negotiation for a couple moments, but I should return…”

    “Cid Aulstyne. The Militesi Marshal. He’s breached our patrols and he’s headed your way,” Ace said in almost a ramble. “He’s already killed the legionaries in the patrol and the Concordians and Loricans on the perimeter. You need to explain the situation to everyone at the summit and get them away. We’re coming, but we won’t make it before him. You need to get away.”

    “I…okay, I…”

    Suddenly, in the background of her audio feed, Ace could hear a rumbling boom. “Deuce!” he exclaimed—hoping, praying that his mind was playing audio tricks on him in the stress.

    “Ace…” Her voice trembled with fear and he opened his mouth to respond.

    Then, her COMM line crackled into nothingness and in the distance, he could see an enormous explosion, one that almost seemed to envelope the entire city center. And his heart stopped.


	2. All of Man's Despair

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dealing with the aftermath of the failed peace summit, the members of Class Zero confront the deaths and mysteries that arise in the wake of the explosion.

    “No...no-no-no…”

    Behind him, he could hear the crunch of snow from three people jogging up behind him and then Eight’s voice. “Ace, we’re ready to move. We—what the…?”

    Cater’s voice followed. “Oh god, I didn’t just hear that explosion in my head…”

    “H-Hey, was that the...town...hall…?” Jack asked, a mix of shock and confusion in his voice.

    “Deuce…” Ace breathed out, taking a step forward only to stumble in the snow and be caught by Eight. His eyes were wide with disbelief and his mouth was slightly agape in his stupor, giving him an almost zombie-like appearance as Eight carefully pushed him back to a standing position.

    “Ace! The army! We have to go!” Cater cried out, shaking his shoulder. “Ace!”

   

* * *

 

    He stood in the war council tent, hands on the table and fingers grasping at whatever stray papers happened to be under them. Ace let out a shaky breath, lips quivering as he fought back tears. The Cetme town hall and every block around it had been leveled in the explosion, the rubble and shrapnel scattered over almost a kilometer around the building. Everything happened so fast. For all their preparation, for all their training, they still couldn’t stop the attack.

    Chaos had followed after the explosions. They had moved in as quickly as possible, but the damage had been done and Cid Aulstyne had disappeared. Bystanders close enough to the explosion had been injured, many of them severely, and witnesses far enough away to avoid harm had gone into a panic that swiftly spread through the city. The presence of Rubrum’s army moving through the streets had not alleviated the panic either.

    Their job now was three-fold: secure the area, assist the living, and identify the dead. For as many troops he had brought to this summit, they were stretched thin. The Lorican and Concordian forces were in disarray from the sudden loss of their representatives, and the Militesi army had long marched away during the attack. There was too much happening.

    Legionaries had already dug through the rubble and found the bodies of the Concordian ambassador and the Lorican advisor, along with multiple civilians nearby simply caught in the blast range. The body of the Concordian ambassador, as small as it was with the build typical of Concordians, was barely recognizable, burns covering what remained of the body after the blast. With the sturdier body typical of Loricans, Lord Enkidu Uruk had fared better than the Concordian ambassador, the burns lighter but still clearly present. There had also been a wound through his exposed chest, one reminiscent of a blade, though they couldn’t be sure until the body had been properly examined.

    The sound of the tent entrance flaps rustled in his ears and King entered his vision, his reddish eyes downcast. A moment later, Seven appeared beside King, expression set in a sadly sympathetic look. Neither of them seemed to have the courage to speak.

    For almost a full minute, there was silence in the room. In a way, they were all still shell-shocked by the attack, almost so much so that dealing with the subsequent chaos was almost too much to ask. But they were Class Zero and they, of all people, had to be able to deal with this situation. The army of Rubrum and the citizens of Cetme depended on it.

    “Ace…they just found the Chancellor,” announced Seven in a soft voice.

    “...Dead…?” Ace mumbled, earning solemn nods from both King and Seven.

    “The Chancellor wasn’t burnt like the Concordian ambassador and Lord Enkidu though,” Seven reported. “But we found a similar wound to Lord Enkidu’s on him.”

    King let out a low grunt. “The Chancellor was likely able to protect himself with magic. But…”

    “How did this happen…?” Seven murmured with a sigh. “Did the Militesi plan this or…?”

    “Don’t know. It does seem a little suspicious how we haven’t found the Militesi Emperor or ambassador yet,” King commented, arms crossed in thought. “But we shouldn’t jump to conclusions until the search is complete. Also, Ace…”

    Slowly, Ace looked up, the red in his eyes worrying both Seven and King. “...What is it?”

    “The scouts found a...something that looks like a black hole in the air above the town hall. I sent my spies to investigate, but they reported that they couldn’t get close enough to examine it,” King responded. “Everyone who has tried started hearing voices and feeling nauseous and various other symptoms. I’ve instructed the search teams to avoid that area for now, until we can figure out what it is and how to deal with its effects.”

    “A black hole…?” A perplexed expression crossed Ace’s face for a moment before it fell and he lowered his gaze to the table again. “What does it matter right now…? We need to find Deuce…”

    Exchanging a concerned look with each other, Seven and King then watched as Ace curled his fingers and trembled, wrinkling the papers beneath his hands. Ace had wanted to go find Deuce himself following the explosion, struggling against Eight, Cater, and Jack once his mind caught up with what happened and he shook himself out of his stupor. But he was the commander of the army, the only one able to control the chaos and issue commands to all of the personnel present, so they had dragged him back to the camp to reluctantly do what only he could. It had left him in a bad state.

    “We need to send a message to the Concordians and the Loricans telling them what we’ve found,” Seven said after a couple minutes, turning to King again. “At the very least, they can decide what they want to do with the bodies of their dead.”

    “I’ll have my people take care of it,” responded King before turning to Moglin, who was hovering by the entrance quietly. “Moglin, follow me and connect me to squads 3 and 9.”

    As King stepped outside with Moglin to speak to his spies on the COMM, Seven moved around the table to sit beside Ace, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Ace…”

    “Don’t…”

    “She could still…”

    At that moment, Queen and Eight walked through the entrance, both coming up to the table and looking at Ace and then Seven, who gave them a sorrowful look. None of them wanted to address the likelihood that Deuce was dead, especially not in front of Ace. As strong as he seemed in front of the army when he gave orders for securing the area and searching for the summit members, it was clear that he was starting to fall apart the more he sat there in the tent in his thoughts.

    “The Class Seventh anatomist finished examining Lord Uruk’s body…” Eight said, placing the report in his hand onto the table carefully. “The explosion didn’t kill him. She said he most certainly survived it, despite the burns on his arms and legs. His formal armor protected him from the heat and his body was strong enough to survive the blast. Loricans are strong like that. So the cause of death was the stab wound through his heart. His armor was likely weakened by the explosion, so it didn’t do much to stop the sword blade.”

    “The anatomist also said that from a cursory glance at the Chancellor’s body, he likely used his magic to protect himself from the explosion,” added Queen, voice uncharacteristically heavy with emotion. “But couldn’t fight off his attacker afterward...”

    “He went there to murder them…” muttered Ace, his heart feeling like it was sinking with every word. “If the explosion didn’t kill them, he put a sword through them while they were still dazed from the blast to finish them off…”

    Silence filled the room again. The loss of the Chancellor weighed heavy on all of them, the man having practically raised them from the moment he brought them to Akademeia from off the streets. He was well-respected as the leader of Rubrum and no one would truly be able to replace him. It was largely due to him and his influence that they were in the positions of power that they had now. The dominion wouldn’t be the only ones mourning his death.

    Now they needed to find out what happened to Deuce.

    “Ace, we’ve completed all the organizational and logistical tasks to have the forces working until nightfall,” Eight stated, keeping an eye on their pseudo-brother and commander as he spoke carefully. “The others are out near the explosion site searching for her. If you want to join them…”

    With that, Ace stood abruptly, his hands still on the table as his chair tipped back from the force of his movement and clattered to the ground. He turned his head, eyes wide almost if he were in a trance, and he clenched a fist. “Find her...I need to...find her…”

    His rambling was starting to sound psychotic and Seven and Eight stared at him uneasily. For Ace’s sake, Deuce had to be alive, she had to be. Her death would be his own. Even if he was physically alive, he would never be the same Ace they knew without her.

    Cautiously, Queen adjusted her glasses, making a decision in her mind. If no one else was going to warn Ace to mentally steel himself for the possibility, she would have to take on the responsibility.

    “Ace!”

    Queen’s shout seemed to shake Ace out of his daze and his eyes hardened, the emotions in his chest starting to override his ability to think rationally. “What?” he hissed tersely.

    “You need to be prepared…” Queen said, somehow mustering a calm voice to speak. “The town hall was leveled, every member of the summit we’ve dug out from the rubble so far is dead...I know you don’t want to hear this, but you need—”

    “Shut up!” Ace snarled, slamming his fist on the table. The loud thump startled Seven and Eight, causing the two to lean away from him, but Queen stood her ground. “You’re right, Queen...I don’t want to hear it...”

    “Don’t forget. You’re the commander of this army. And now that the Chancellor is dead, you’re going to be the leader of the Societas. You cannot fall apart, no matter what happens, Ace.” Queen shook her head slightly, worry creeping into her voice despite her attempts at keeping it stern and steady. “Even if Deuce is…”

    “I told you I didn’t want to hear it!” bellowed Ace, sweeping his arm across and throwing the materials on the table against the tent wall in his anger. “She’s not...! She...she can’t be…”

    Finding his voice, Eight held his hands out in an attempt to placate Ace. “Deuce wouldn’t want you to be like this, Ace…you know she wouldn’t. Queen is just trying to help. We all are. You know that. Come on, take a deep breath, calm down...”

    “...I’m going to find her.”

    Eight nodded vigorously, taking a step toward Ace. “Yeah, yeah, you are. I’ll go with you, okay? We’re going to go find Deuce and bring her back.”

    Seemingly pacified by Eight’s words, Ace gave a low grunt in response and stormed toward the entrance. King, who was walking back in, watched as Ace walked out of the tent with Eight at his heels and turned to the others, an eyebrow raised in silent question.

    “Are you really going to stop him from looking for her?” inquired Seven, crossing her arms loosely. “He did what he needed to do here. Let him do what he needs to do for himself.”

    “I know,” King said stoically. “But if he finds her and she’s…”

    Queen sighed. “We will have to cope with whatever happens. Ace...he will have to as well.”

    “...He was going to propose to her, you know. That’s what Cater told me.” Seven bent down, picking up the materials that Ace threw off the table. “He was going to propose to her tonight. When we were finally at peace.”

    Surprise colored Queen and King’s faces and then silence fell over the three of them. Their plans and expectations for this day had fallen through so quickly that none of them were sure what to do now, especially with Ace in such a state. For the moment, they could only wait and hope.

 

* * *

 

    Snow and stone crunching beneath his feet, the dark-haired young man let out a sigh as he walked toward the remnants of Cetme’s town hall, glancing up at the ominous dark hole in the air where the building itself stood just hours prior. Green eyes surveying the area, he paused and braced himself as the wind whipped up for just a second, rustling his indigo blue mantle, the mark of a Class Second cadet.

    The explosion had left the area decimated, the town hall itself now nothing but snow-covered rubble and the buildings around it partially collapsed. It wasn’t just the effects of the explosion they had to deal with either. Monsters had begun to appear in the city in the chaos, seemingly attracted to the black hole and free to roam in the absence of the usual Militesi troops that protected its borders. Additionally, the weather in Milites was far harsher than at home in Akademeia, which was slowing down the search and aid efforts the Rubrumite army were undertaking. They had already been out here for a few hours, fending off monsters, gathering the injured civilians and soldiers, and digging through the rubble.

    “Machina!”

    At the sound of his girlfriend’s voice, the man turned to look at her, flecks of snow in her shoulder-length brown hair and reddish eyes looking up at him. The pink cape around her shoulders marked her as a member of Class Seventh, specialized in medical magic and techniques. She had mostly been helping with the injured, while he helped people move to the temporary clinic they had set up a little ways away from the town hall.

    “Rem. Did you find something?” he asked.

    “No, but...did you hear? They found the Chancellor...or rather, his body…”

    Machina sighed again. “Yeah, I heard about that. No one’s found Lady Deuce yet?”

    “...No, not yet,” murmured Rem, her gaze falling sadly. “Did you see Commander Ace on the hill when he saw the explosion? I’ve never seen him lose his composure like that…”

    “Well, the Commander and Lady Deuce are...they’re a couple, right?”

    Tilting her head slightly, Rem gave a thoughtful hum. “If you believe the rumors…”

    “Izana told me they were,” Machina muttered, taking her hand in his. “...I can only imagine what the Commander felt when he saw the explosion.”

    “He must have been so scared…”

    “Yeah...how could Cid Aulstyne do something like this…?” mumbled Machina, attention drifting upward to the black hole in the air. “And that thing…”

    “I guess this means we’re still at war too…”

    “Well, Izana said that Class Zero has some sort of plan for if this peace summit failed, but…”

    Rem looked up curiously. “Oh? I wonder—”

    A rasping screech rang out and the two turned to see the gelatinous forms of multiple Ice Flans squirming down the street toward them. Letting go of each other’s hands, they spun around to face the monsters and prepare for battle. His drill rapiers materializing in his hands, Machina moved in front of Rem protectively as she summoned her daggers.

    “Let’s go, Rem!”

 

* * *

 

    “Eight, Ace, over here!”

    Standing on top of a large piece of rubble, Cater waved at the two approaching men and then turned to glance at Trey, Cinque, Nine, and Jack, who were all sifting through the snow and debris nearby. With a hum, she hopped off of the rubble and rubbed her hands together for warmth in the biting cold.

    “Cater, how is it going?” Eight questioned, watching carefully as Ace stepped to the side and closed his eyes. “Anything new?”

    “It’s...rough,” admitted Cater. “This place is an absolute mess and the weather isn’t helping. It took us hours just to find the Chancellor and he was only covered by snow. If anyone ended up under the rubble, it might take closer to a day to find them.”

    “What about that...black hole?” Eight looked at the dark hole in the distance and then at the various cadets and soldiers moving around the area. “I didn’t realize it was so close to the town hall.”

    “Yeah, it’s toward where the back of the building was, but definitely still on top of there,” Cater reported with a nod. “We haven’t had any luck getting near it. All of the cadets and legionaries that have tried came back feeling sick and junk. I don’t know what they’re moaning about. I felt fine when I went over there. But I couldn’t dig up that entire area myself, so I came back to join the others.”

    Eight brought a finger to his chin, deep in thought. “Maybe we should get Queen down here to look at it. Sounds like some sort of magic. And she is our Head of Sorcery.”

    “Well, if you want to investigate, you can,” retorted Cater, crossing her arms. “The rest of us are going to be here. Trying to find Deuce.”

    “She’s not here.”

    At the sound of Ace’s voice, they turned to him, the calm certainty in his voice surprising them. Cater shook her head slightly, confused at his words. “What? How do you know, Ace?”

    “I don’t feel her,” replied Ace simply, looking up at the sky.

    Her upper lip curling with bafflement, Cater looked at Eight, who shrugged, and then back at Ace. “What? You have some psychic connection with her or something that we don’t know about?”

    “Her phantoma,” Ace clarified before walking off, moving closer to the town hall.

    “...Sometimes I hate much of a genius he is,” huffed Cater, crossing her arms and glaring at Ace’s back. “We’ve been out here for who knows how long and he just waltzes in and starts scanning for her phantoma. How does he even know what her phantoma feels like?”

    Eight gave a brief chuckle. “He did dabble in phantoma research with Queen for a while. Wouldn’t be surprised if he learned how. As long as she’s alive…”

    “I don’t want to think about if she isn’t,” Cater interjected. “She is. We just have to find her.”

    “Is Acey doing okay?” Cinque asked in a small voice as she approached Eight and Cater. “Cinquey’s never seen Acey so sad. Deucey has to give him a big hug when we find her.”

    “Yeah...yeah, she does, Cinque...” Eight agreed.

 

* * *

   

    Lifting one of his weapons on his shoulder, Machina breathed out as the Flan in front of him let out a dying shriek. Behind him, Rem huffed for breath, her daggers still clutched in her hands. Head turning to look over his shoulder and glance at Rem, Machina cleared his throat.

    “Rem...you okay?”

    “I-I’m fine, Machina,” Rem responded, her breathing steadying as she relaxed and dismissed her daggers. “That was surprising...those Flan were quite aggressive!”

    “Yeah. Is it just me or were they stronger than the ones we fought yesterday too?”

    An inquisitive look on her face, Rem turned to look up at the black hole above them, which they had gotten closer to in their skirmish with the Flans. “Maybe it’s because of that strange hole in the air?”

    “You should get back to the clinic with the rest of your squad,” said Machina, turning to her. “I can handle myself. And I want to help with the excavation here a little longer.”

    “Mmm, it’s okay. They don’t need me right now,” Rem assured him before placing her hands behind her back and leaning toward him teasingly. “And besides, is it so bad to spend time with your girlfriend, Machina?”

    His eyes widened and he stuttered slightly, the flustered look on his face causing Rem to giggle softly. “O-Of course not! I-I just meant…”

    All of the sudden, a snarl rang out behind Rem and the two of them turned their heads to see a large gray-furred feline beast with pointed ears, thick whiskers, and a curled tail, bent forward, baring its fangs at a smaller creature in the snow. Just as the larger beast’s legs curled in preparation to pounce, the smaller creature growled and shot out a burst of flame, throwing the larger one back into a jagged piece of rubble. As the larger beast shook off the blow and scrambled back onto its feet, the smaller one carefully crawled out of the snow, and Machina and Rem could see its smooth, light blue fur; large ears; and a small, red horn on its head.

    “Machina, I think that’s a Lesser Coeurl...” commented Rem, watching as the larger creature’s tail waved back and forth. “But what is that smaller one…?”

    “I don’t know…”

    With another snarl, the Lesser Coeurl jumped at the smaller creature, fangs and claws out, but missing as the smaller creature deftly hopped to the side. Seemingly to become more enraged, the Lesser Coeurl swiped at its opponent again, only for its paw to smack against a magical barrier, the sparkles of the smaller creature’s magic brightly contrasted against the white of the snow around them. Baring its sharp little teeth, the smaller one pushed back against the Lesser Coeurl with its barrier, throwing the larger beast into the air and toward Machina and Rem.

    The Lesser Coeurl fell against the ground a couple meters in front of Rem with a loud thump. Spotting the couple as it stood again, the monster drew its mouth back in another snarl and turned its attention to them, causing the smaller creature’s ears to perk up in interest as it watched.

    “Gonna pick on someone your own size now, huh?” asked Machina, bending slightly to enter a counter-stance and waiting for the Lesser Coeurl to move first. “Come on!”

    Cautiously, Rem moved to the side, keeping a close eye on the monster as her daggers reappeared in her hands. There may have only been one Lesser Coeurl, but that was no excuse to let their guard down. “Machina…”

    “Just get it down on the ground long enough to finish it off,” he instructed calmly.

    At that, the Lesser Coeurl leapt at him and he batted at it with one of his drill rapiers, throwing it back. Landing on its feet, it bent forward and pounced again, relentless in its attack. Smoothly, Machina ducked, spinning around just in time to catch the monster’s bite with one of his weapons as it reared up to snap at his back. With a yell, he hefted the monster and his weapon into the air and slammed them against the ground, causing the beast to release its fanged hold with a yelp.

    While normal Coeurls might have run at that point, this one merely seemed to become more aggressive and it leapt at Machina again, eyes dark with rage. It swiped at his arm, just catching his forearm and leaving four slash marks on the skin, causing Machina to hiss with pain as Rem blasted the monster back with a fire spell.

    “Machina!”

    “J-Just a scratch!” he shouted back, batting the Coeurl to the ground as it struck again.

    Quickly holding out her hands, Rem let her magic build and ice crystals grew around the monster, pinning it against the ground just long enough for Machina to beat at its head with one rapier and stab it through with the other. Once the beast stopped quivering in its death throes, Machina sighed in relief and let his weapons disappear, grabbing his injured arm with the other hand as the pain of the gashes caught up with him and he fell to his knees.

    Rem knelt down beside him, eyes scanning the wound as she caught her breath. “T-Those are deep...you said it was just a scratch!”   

    “It felt like just a scratch,” he mumbled sheepishly, blood oozing down his arm.

    Just then, a furry snout entered their vision and they looked up from his arm to see the small, blue-furred creature that the Lesser Coeurl had been fighting earlier. Now that it was closer, they could see that its red horn was actually a red jewel and that it resembled a fox with its large, triangular ears; lighter furred underbelly; and bushy tail. From far away, its eyes had appeared almost black in the snowy weather, but now that it was looking at them, they could see its eyes were a deep blue.

    Quietly, the creature drew closer to Machina’s outstretched arm, its attention on the bleeding wound. It tilted its head, and then with a wag of its tail, it cast a cure spell and Machina’s arm involuntarily twitched, the wound sealing up swiftly and seamlessly.

    “Wha…?” exclaimed Machina, wiping his forearm with his hand to confirm that the wound was indeed healed. “T-Thank you…?”

    “It’s so cute! I don’t think this is a monster,” said Rem in a quiet voice before reaching a hand toward the creature. “You are friendly, aren’t you, little one?”

    In lieu of a response to either of them, the creature simply stared at them, carefully examining their faces, almost as if it were trying to identify them. It then padded forward, sniffing at Rem’s hand curiously before placing a paw on her fingers.

    “Rem, what do you think it is?” Machina asked, startling slightly as the creature’s ears perked up.

    “I’m not sure, Machina. But it’s cute!”

    At the sound of their names, excitement seemed to fill the creature and it yipped softly, circling around and nudging its nose against Rem’s hand. Giving a small “aww,” Rem pet the little creature. It then turned to Machina, placing a paw on his leg and giving another small yip.

    “It is pretty cute,” Machina conceded, just as the creature grabbed onto his pant leg with a gentle bite and pulled on it. “Hey!”

    Releasing Machina’s pant leg, the creature went back over to Rem, clutching the edge of her sleeve with its teeth and pulling on it. “I think...it wants something?” Rem questioned.

    The creature let go of her sleeve and then padded off back toward where it was before the Coeurl attacked, pausing to look back at the couple after it took a couple steps. “It...wants us to follow it?” Machina speculated, shuffling to his feet.

    Once the two cadets began to follow, the creature scampered off toward its destination. The wooden rubble it stopped in front of was covered in snow, undisturbed by any of the searching, and was just one of many similar pieces of snow-covered debris in the area. However, upon closer inspection, this one seemed deliberately set up, delicately balanced on top of two large foundation stones and covered in what appeared to be cloth from the town hall windows.

    Before Machina or Rem could say anything, the creature scratched at the rubble structure near a small hole at the base of it and then looked up at them with large, pleading eyes. The creature gave a soft whine as the two approached the structure, digging at the hole slightly before looking up at them again as they examined the rubble.

    “Maybe there’s something under here that it wants us to find?” asked Rem, placing her hands against the rubble and giving it a push to no avail. “It’s...a bit heavy.”

    “Here, let’s try together,” Machina suggested, coming up next to her and grabbing the edge of the thick wooden beam to lift while Rem pushed. “Push!”

    As the two struggled to move the rubble, the creature’s ears suddenly perked up again and it peered around the stones to look at the approaching figures. Letting out a squeak, the creature hopped up and down excitedly and then looked back at Machina and Rem, who had partially moved the rubble—just enough to see what it wanted them to find. Now that they had moved the rubble slightly, they could see clearly that it had been positioned into a shelter-like structure, keeping the one inside safe from the snow. Seeing who was inside, their eyes widened and their mouths dropped.

    “L-Lady Deuce?!” Rem exclaimed. “Machina, we have to get her out!”

    “Can’t move this much more by ourselves,” grumbled Machina, repositioning his feet to leverage more strength for lifting. “Can we contact Command?”

    Just then, they could hear voices approaching and the two cadets looked around the rubble.

    “Hey, Ace, are you sure you know where you’re going?” Cater inquired skeptically, arms crossed as she, Eight, Trey, Cinque, Nine, and Jack followed. “I mean…we’ve been walking around for like fifteen minutes…”

    Stopping in his tracks, Ace breathed in sharply. “...She’s here.”

    “Commander!” Machina called out, straightening up and cupping his mouth with his hands to yell over the sound of the snowy wind. “Commander, over here! It’s Lady Deuce!”

    Without a second thought, Ace dashed toward Machina and Rem, quickly surveying the rubble structure before grasping the heavy wooden beam and helping Machina lift it off.

    “Come on, everyone, we gotta get Deucey out of there!” shouted Cinque, prompting the rest of the group to run forward to the crude structure. “Go-go-go!”

    Between the nine of them, they cleared away the rubble in moments. When the debris was finally removed, Ace dropped to his knees beside Deuce, looking her over for any external injuries. Her uniform had been torn in several places, most seemingly cuts in the fabric from a blade. His hands drifted over her exposed skin, wiping at dried smears of blood, but finding no open wounds.

    “How is she?” Eight asked in a low voice, bending down next to Ace.

    “There’s blood...but no wounds,” muttered Ace, the magic on the tips of his fingers glowing as he cast cure spells on her body. He leaned down, lowering his head to press his ear against her chest lightly. “Her heartbeat is steady. She’s just unconscious for now.”

    “We should get her back and let the medics from Class Fourth or Seventh look at her more thoroughly.” Eight turned to the rubble structure they opened up, eyebrows raising as he examined it. “Someone put her here. This is like a shelter. But who?”

    “What happened to you?” inquired Ace to Deuce softly, placing a hand against her cold cheek.

    “How did you cadets find her?” Jack asked Machina and Rem, arms behind his head relaxedly. “Not exactly a prime searching area here.”

    “Oh, ummm...we were led here by…” started Rem, looking around their feet, only to find that the small creature had vanished in all of the commotion. “Well, we followed a...creature of sorts.”

    “We aren’t sure what it was,” Machina admitted with a shrug of his shoulder. He looked at his healed arm, the slash marks that had marred the skin completely sealed and smoothed over. “It healed me after we fought with a Coeurl and then led us to Lady Deuce…”

    Trey raised a hand to his chin thoughtfully, glancing up at the black hole just above them to the side. “Hmmm. Another mystery of this area. I speculate many of these odd phenomena that we have been experiencing here are largely due to the presence of that large dark hole in the air over there. But I am certain they can all be explained. In fact, in history, there have been several cases of strange happenings later being explained through—”

    “Trey, not now!” Cater groaned, putting a hand into Trey’s face and turning to Machina and Rem simultaneously. “You two can report everything about what happened to us when we get back to camp. Come on, I’ll take notes on it myself.”

    Jack nodded slightly, reaching behind his ear for the switch on his COMM. “We headed back now? I’ll ring in the good news.”

    “Acey, time to take Deucey back!” chirped Cinque. “She needs the rest!”

    “Right,” rumbled Ace, sliding a hand under Deuce’s knees and behind her back to carefully lift her into his arms. “Let’s get you back to bed…”

    “She’s alive at least,” said Eight in a lighter voice, smiling slightly as Ace pressed a kiss to the side of Deuce’s head. “That we can be thankful for.”

    “Yeah...”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is my new project, which spawned from a couple ideas about phantoma that I wanted to explore in the deeper context of the mythology of the series! It's...uhh...a little different than my previous works, but it'll still feature a lot of my favorite elements, as you can probably tell from these first two chapters. Hopefully this will turn out pretty cool / interesting. 
> 
> I also meant to write a lot more of this before I posted it, but RedPaladin465 wanted to see it ASAP, so...here we are. XD


	3. Bound by Their Covenant

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Deuce wakes up to a newly established Societas dealing with the aftershock of the events at Cetme and has to make an important decision for herself.

    _“Take her and run! Go!”_

_“We’re not leaving you behind!”_

_“Please take her someplace safe...hide her away from anyone who would hurt her...please…”_

_“Go now!”_

_“No matter what happens...we all love you. Don’t forget that...”_

   

    Eyes fluttering open, Deuce let out a shaky breath, voices that she struggled to recognize echoing in her head. Her mind was hazy as she waited for her eyes to focus. The familiar red fabric of a dominion army tent registered slowly and she could only assume she was in either a medical tent or her and Ace’s tent. Silently, she turned her attention to the figure sitting next to her, a young brunette cadet with the pink mantle of Class Seventh around her shoulders and reddish eyes scanning the medical text in her hands. 

    “Oh, you’re awake!”

    “W-Who…?”

    “I’m Rem Tokimiya from Class Seventh, Lady Deuce. It’s okay. We’re safe in the camp,” Rem answered kindly. “How are you feeling?”

    “I...I think I’m fine…” said Deuce hesitantly, flexing her fingers and legs slightly under the blanket covering her. “What happened…?”

    Rem bit her lower lip, unsure of what to say. “It’s...well, you’ve been unconscious for two days, Lady Deuce. Many things have happened. I think it’s best that I let the Commander tell you about the peace summit. But for now, please allow me to check on you.”

    Sitting up carefully, Deuce took a deep breath as Rem placed the medical book on the side table before moving her hands to Deuce’s wrist to check her pulse. Wordlessly letting Rem go about her medical check, Deuce turned her gaze toward the closed tent entrance. Soon enough, her mind began to clear a bit and questions began to fill her head.

    “Rem...was it?”

    “Yes, Lady Deuce,” Rem responded. “Did you need something?”

    “Where is…the Commander?”

    A small, reassuring smile made its way onto Rem’s face. “He was here not too long ago, but Lady Queen asked him to go look at something. I’m certain he’ll return soon. He’ll be so relieved to see you’re awake and...well, he can tell you. For these last few days, he’s spent every free moment he had watching over you, Lady Deuce.”

    “I’ll be sure to thank him for his care,” replied Deuce, resisting the urge to push herself out of bed and find him herself. He must have been so worried. “Has everyone else been doing okay?”

    “You mean the other Class Zero members?”

    “Yes, and the army as well,” Deuce said softly, gaze dropping to the hand she had in her lap. “...I’m sure the past few days have been trying.”

    Nodding in agreement, Rem drew back. “I do not know much about the other Class Zero members. You are all...very strong. They’ve continued on as usual, checking on you whenever possible. As I said before, Commander Ace has been by your side almost this entire time. As for the army...to be honest, it’s been a bit worrying, Lady Deuce. Commander Ace, Lady Queen, and Sir Trey explained to us the plans for the Societas Unitorum Pacis, you see, and given us all the choice to stay or return to Akademeia. With everything that has happened, most of us—at least, most that I have talked to—would feel more confident in staying with the Commander and the rest of Class Zero. But we’re not sure of what to do or what to expect. We’re still trying to pick up the pieces from the peace summit.”

    “I see…”

    “P-Perhaps I should go get the Commander,” suggested Rem. “You seem to be physically well. He’ll want to see you now that you’ve finally woken up. He’s been incredibly worried about you.”

    With that, Rem stood, grabbing her book and giving Deuce a slight bow before walking out of the tent. Letting out a sigh, Deuce gradually pulled up the pillow and leaned against it before looking around. She was in her and Ace’s tent, the presence of Ace’s glasses on the nightstand and her mantle on the clothing rack making it clear that she was in their bed. Looking down at herself, she could see that someone—likely Ace—had changed her into softer, more comfortable clothing than the uniform she had been wearing when she went to the summit.

    “I was...at the peace summit…” Deuce mumbled to herself, looking down at her hands as she racked her mind for the last thing she remembered. “We were...talking about the non-aggression pact… and Ace called me on the COMM...then…”

    “Deuce!”

    Before Deuce could react to his voice, Ace knelt down beside her bed, the speed that he crossed the tent a testament to his combat prowess. His hand came over hers, holding the one she had closest to him firmly as he looked her over quickly. The weariness in his eyes and the thin whiskers around his mouth spoke volumes about how stressed he had been in the past few days and she felt her heart clench at the thought of him suffering so.

    Carefully, she placed her free hand on his cheek and drew him out of his rushed motions, almost as if she had pushed a wave of tranquility through his body. “Ace…”

    “...How are you feeling?” he asked in a low voice, leaning into her touch just slightly.

    “I’m okay. I just…” She trailed off, unsure of what to say. 

    “Rem said you were okay, but I mean...does anything hurt? Ache? Do you need me to get you anything? I asked Cater to get some soup to bring to you in a couple minutes…”

    The emotion in his voice was clear. Even if she hadn’t been intimately familiar with his mannerisms as his partner, she would have been able to sense the restless worry in his actions and words. Despite the fogginess in her mind, she couldn’t help but feel touched at how caring he was toward her. She stroked his roughened cheek, eyes locked with his as she felt him relax under her touch. 

    “I’m okay,” she said softly, reassuringly. “I’m okay, Ace.”

    Letting out a deep breath, he nodded before turning his head slightly to press a kiss to her palm. Despite the haziness in her mind, Deuce couldn’t help but smile at him. Any anxiety that she felt from waking up under such strange circumstances simply melted away in his familiar and comforting presence.

    Slowly and carefully, he stood to sit down on the edge of the bed, sliding his arm around her waist to hold her close. “I’m glad you’re okay,” he muttered, nuzzling the side of her head. “I was…” 

    He fell silent, words jumbled in his brain. It was hard to describe what he felt in all that time after he saw the explosion and before they found her in the rubble. His emotions were all over the place, irrational even. He drifted between moments of utter despair and hopelessness and absolute denial, unbefitting for the leader he was expected to be. She had that effect on him, he supposed.

    “You were…?” Deuce inquired, leaning her head against his shoulder.

    “Never mind,” he replied with a shake of his head before smiling at her. “What matters is that you’re here...and doing okay.”

    “Rem said it’s been two days,” she murmured, placing her hand on the one he had against her abdomen and weaving her fingers with his. “What...happened?”

    Ace paused. “...You mean, after the explosion?”

    “I...suppose,” she said slowly. “I can’t...I don’t remember anything about it…”

    “Nothing? That’s strange.”

    “How so?”

    “If the 17 witnesses at the scene are to be believed, you fought Cid Aulstyne before passing out. Rumor has it you were putting up quite the fight too.”

    Eyes widening with shock, she looked up at him. “W-What?”

    “You don’t remember fighting him? I imagine it would be difficult to forget. Maybe we should have the doctors look at you again. You did hit your head when you fell, according to them.”

    “Even so, I don’t remember anything after the explosion...if I was conscious enough to be fighting, you would think…” Deuce stopped, her own words triggering another thought in her mind. “Wait, what about the Chancellor? The other representatives?”

    At that, Ace closed his eyes, letting out a deep sigh as he put his free hand to his brow. He had been dealing with the aftermath of the explosion at the summit for the better part of the last two days, but part of him still couldn’t quite believe what had happened. 

    “...Dead. All of them,” muttered Ace, arm tightening around her instinctively in response to her body tensing at the news. “Even the Militesi Emperor...and even the Chancellor.”

    “The Chancellor…?” Deuce repeated, the shock and disbelief in her voice clear. “He…I...”

    Hand rubbing her arm comfortingly, Ace leaned his head against hers. “I know. We already autopsied the bodies and sent a message back to Akademeia, but it’s still...hard to believe.”

    “How…”

    Just then, the sound of the zipper at the tent’s entrance rang out and they turned to see Cater walking in with a bowl and a cup in hand. “Hey, I brought some—Eight, zip it back up, it’s cold!” Cater snapped as the red-haired man poked his head in.

    “Sorry, sorry!” Eight answered before looking at Ace and Deuce. “Glad to see you’re doing okay, Deuce. We’ll come see you later after the others get back.”

    As Eight went back outside, Cater let out a sigh and turned back to the couple, striding over to set the bowl and cup on the side table. “Like I was saying, I brought some soup and water...”

    “Thank you, Cater…” mumbled Deuce, curling closer to Ace as she stifled a sniffle.

    Eyes shifting from Deuce to Cater, Ace pursed his lips and shook his head slightly, prompting the auburn-haired woman to nod in understanding. “Right...umm...Eight, Seven, and I are going to be just outside waiting for the others if you need us. When you’re feeling ready…”

    With that, Cater retreated out of the tent, leaving Ace to pick up the cup of water and offer it to Deuce. “You should drink and eat something,” he said in a low voice, drawing her attention. “Get your strength up.”

    “Okay…”

 

* * *

 

    “So she’s finally awake?” inquired Seven, arms crossed as she turned her attention to Cater.

    The wind howled, carrying snow through the air and buffeting the young adults standing around the camp’s central fire. Despite being bundled in heavy clothing, they could still feel the chill of the climate and the three couldn’t help but shiver in their boots. Just a hundred meters away, Sice and Nine were practice sparring, the two’s way of dealing with the colder weather that none of them were used to.

    “Yeah, she seemed okay, but…” Cater began before letting out a sigh. “I think Ace told her about the Chancellor and the other summit members.”

    “She probably asked about them,” Eight said quietly. “Sounds like something she’d do.”

    Seven nodded in agreement. “She would have found out anyway. It’s better that Ace told her. ...In any case, we should inform the others that she is awake. I’ll go find everyone and gather them to meet.”

    “Okay,” responded Eight, crossing his arms and giving a nod. “We’ll be here.”

    Watching as Seven walked off, Cater and Eight turned to each other, exchanging knowing looks. Now that Deuce was awake, there was a whole host of other things to address beyond the destruction in Cetme and the aftermath of the failed peace summit. Their work had only just begun.

    “Machina!”

    At the sound of Rem calling for her boyfriend, Eight and Cater looked up at the pink-mantled girl standing next to one of the nearby medic tents. The dark-haired cadet was just returning from his patrolling, and a small grin curled his lips at the sight of Rem. Tilting her head slightly as Machina strode over to his girlfriend, Cater put a hand on her hip.

    “Those two...it’s weird, but I feel like there’s something familiar about them,” said Cater, just loud enough for only Eight to hear. “The entire time I was taking reports from them...I couldn’t shake the feeling that I knew them. More than just as cadets in the army, you know?”

    “Well, they aren’t anymore,” Eight remarked, a smirk pulling at his lips. “Ace and Queen gave them promotions for helping out with Deuce, remember? We gotta get new mantles for them.”

    “Lucky them,” Cater answered dryly. “More work and responsibilities. But seriously...it’s kinda like déjà vu. It’s really weird. Maybe it’s just me.”

    Eight shrugged, relaxing his stance. “You could ask Queen or Trey about it. They might know more about that kind of thing.”

    “I guess so,” conceded Cater, then glancing at Nine and Sice sparring in their usual uniforms. “Geez, how are those two not freezing? They’re wearing way less than us.”

    “Even if they were cold, they wouldn’t admit it,” Eight chuckled as Machina and Rem joined them around the fire. “Unless they were complaining about it.”

    Suddenly, a heavy thud rang out and the group turned to see Nine sprawled on the ground, Sice standing triumphantly over him with her scythe. A groan left the man’s lips and he huffed, the spear in his hand thumping against the dirt as he rolled onto his feet. Lifting his head, Nine glared at his sparring partner, brow furrowed in irritation.

     “You’re getting rusty without any Militesi to take out,” snickered Sice. “Or are you just getting too old for all this, Nine?”

    “Shaddup,” Nine grunted as he stood up. “Just tired, yo.”

    “Sure, and what was your excuse last time?”

    Letting out a sound of protest as the two of them walked away to clean up, Nine turned to Sice. “STILL tired, yo. ‘Cause you make me do all the work!”

    “Honestly...you’d never know they were together from the way they treat each other,” commented Cater, rolling her eyes. “Especially compared to the rest of us.”

    “Wait...Lady Sice and Sir Nine are together? Like a couple?” Machina inquired, eyes wide with shock. “I’ve only ever seen them fighting with each other…”

    “See, that’s exactly what I mean!” Cater responded with a sigh before her lips curled into a knowing smile. “But I guess that’s how they are. They’ve always been like that.”

    Rem tilted her head thoughtfully. “I suppose everyone shows that they care about their loved ones in different ways. Perhaps they keep each other motivated like that?”

    “That sounds about right,” Eight said, turning to grin knowingly at Cater. “You’ve got a sharp tongue like that sometimes too. Especially to me.”

    “Pffft, don’t be a wuss, Eight. I’m _way_ nicer than those two,” retorted Cater, crossing her arms.

    “So...are you two also together?” asked Machina confusedly. “I mean, I don’t mean to pry, but…”

    “Uhh, no—”

    “We—”

    The two turned to each other, exchanging a quick look before turning back to Machina and Rem.

    “...It’s complicated,” Eight said sheepishly, effectively ending that topic of conversation.

    Just then, the crunching of snow and low muttering behind them drew the group’s attention and they turned to see Trey walking up to them, a thick tome in hand and Cinque trailing behind him. “I don’t understand, Cinque. Historically, we’ve seen nothing like it. Not a single mention of anything remotely similar in any of the archives…”

    “It’s like a new magic, Trey!” Cinque chirped. “Even Queen wasn't sure what it was!”

    “What’s that, Trey? You don’t know something? What a shocker,” Cater remarked wryly, rolling her eyes slightly. “What are you on about anyway?”

    Trey sighed. “The black hole in Cetme. From what we’ve gathered, nothing like this has ever happened before in all of recorded history. We know essentially nothing about it other than what we have observed. So what then are we expected to do?”

    “Figure it out. Like always,” answered Cater, confidence clear in her voice. “We’re Class Zero. If anyone can do it, we can.”

    “Yeah-yeah! We can do it!” agreed Cinque, hopping with enthusiasm.

    Eight tilted his head. “Well, that’s assuming we even have time to look into it,” he pointed out. “We’ve got a lot of work ahead of us…”

    “Well, perhaps we can get some more answers now that Deuce is awake,” Trey said, putting his free hand to his chin. “She was there, after all.”

    “I don’t know about that,” Rem murmured, causing the others to look at her. “When we found Lady Deuce, she was very much unconscious. She may not have even been awake when the hole appeared. Perhaps if we could find and communicate with that creature…”

    Shifting her stance, Cater let out a thoughtful hum. “Speaking of that thing, I asked King to have his people keep an eye out for that creature you two talked about. From what we’ve seen and what you’ve told me, it seems like it’s different from the other monsters around. It was helping Deuce, after all.”

    “It also seemed to understand our words a little,” added Machina. “It was just sniffing us at first, but then Rem called it cute and it got all excited and wanted us to follow it.”

    “Fascinating. The only creatures that we know to be capable of understanding our words are Eidolons,” Trey muttered, deep in thought. “Perhaps it was an Eidolon of sorts?”

     “But then who summoned it?” asked Rem. “There was nobody around when we got there. And it didn’t look like any summon that I know of.”

    “Well, no matter how many secrets of magic we unlock, it seems there will always be something else to mystify us,” remarked Seven as she rejoined the group around the fire. “Much to Queen and Quon’s chagrin, I’m sure.”

    Letting out a huff, Cater clutched her coat closer to her body. “So we gonna start this meeting soon or what, Seven? I’m freezing here.”

    “The others should be here shortly,” Seven assured. “I did inform all of them.”

    “Yeah, don’t get up in a huff, Cater,” came Jack’s good-humored voice from behind the auburn-haired gunner. “It isn’t good for your health, you know.”

    “Yeah, well, freezing my butt off isn’t good for my health either, Jack!” Cater shot back, turning back toward the fire as the swordsman slid into position with the others. “Sice, Nine, about time!”

    Nodding her head in acknowledgment as Nine and Sice came up to rejoin the group, Seven put her hand on her hip and glanced toward the main tent that King and Queen were coming out of. “And here come Queen and King. Let’s get ready.”

 

* * *

 

    “So…we’ve got a lot of things to talk about now that Deuce is awake,” Ace said in a low but clear voice, glancing around at the others scattered about in his and Deuce’s tent. “What first…?”

    “I think we should formally introduce our new members here,” suggested Seven, causing everyone to look to Machina and Rem. “Everyone, this is Machina Kunagiri from Class Second and Rem Tokimiya from Class Seventh. They found Deuce and helped in her aid and recovery. They will be joining us in Class Zero to help with managing the Societas.”

    Bowing her head from her spot next to Ace on the bed, Deuce let out a deep breath before looking at the two. “Thank you both very much.”

    “Of course, Lady Deuce, it was our duty to help,” Rem responded, earning a nod of agreement from Machina. “We were just relieved to find you.”

    “We can discuss your new responsibilities later in more detail,” Ace announced, his arm around Deuce relaxing slightly as she entwined their fingers. “Next...the condition of the camp. Eight?”

    At that, Eight cleared his throat. “Supplies are steady for now. We can probably stay for another couple weeks to investigate Cetme and get organized, but I’d suggest we move somewhere else for the Societas’ headquarters. Somewhere more defensible and a little less…”

    “Cold and shitty?” Cater offered, rolling her eyes.

    “It certainly doesn’t look good for any potential allies if our camp is in this inhospitable of an environment,” added Seven. “We also pose less of a threat to any potential enemies.”

    “Do we have an idea of where we could go then?” Sice asked, arms crossed as she stood next to the tent entrance. “Don’t really want to go wandering in the snow looking for who-knows-what.”

    “We don’t have the resources or the time to build a stronghold,” Queen murmured, leaning back slightly in her chair next to the bed. “We’d best find an abandoned fortress. Renovations can be done on an existing stronghold, but building one from scratch is out of the question.”

    “The closest abandoned stronghold from here is Kelran in Meroë,” King rumbled, brow furrowed in thought. “But it’s in shambles, last I checked.”

    “Yes, Rubrum abandoned it back during the Great Orience War, almost 500 years ago,” Trey stated impassively. “The assault functionally left it a big pile of rubble. We would basically be building it from scratch, other than the foundation stones.”

    “...Togoreth.”

    The others turned to Ace, his suggestion piquing their interest. They were all familiar with the place, the stronghold having been the site of their first mission outside of the region of Akademeia back when they were cadets. The fortress’ defenses and pathways had been largely destroyed during that mission and Rubrum had essentially abandoned it, deeming the reconstruction too much of a costly venture at the time. 

    “That could work...but it’s far. Almost back to Arkham,” King answered, frowning at the thought. “It’s a long march without enough chocobos or airships.”

    “There’s nothing closer though,” Seven pointed out. “Meroë and Iscah are both solidly under dominion occupation. The Bethnel mountains would be even harder to traverse if we wanted to go to Lorica. And any further into Milites, we put ourselves at risk with both enemies and resources.”

    Sice let out a huff. “Yeah, I’m sure what’s left of the Consortium is going to be ecstatic about us plopping down right in the middle of dominion territory. Let’s be honest—the only reason they even tolerated us was because of the Chancellor, who is now _dead.”_

    “The Consortium might protest to us occupying Togoreth, but they won’t bother engaging us,” Ace replied, head lowered in thought. “Most of the army here has decided to stay with us and the Consortium will be dealing with the fallout from the failed peace summit. We’re insignificant in comparison. And the resources they would have to spend to force us to leave would be more than they have to spare. Even the Commandant would see that.”

    “Ace is right. In fact, I would expect the Consortium to try to threaten us into leaving,” remarked Trey. “But the reality of the situation is that it would just be posturing. Togoreth is just another abandoned stronghold. To spend current military strength and resources to take a crumbling fortress that they would simply do nothing with would be terribly foolish.”

    “Pffft, that’s if they can even get organized without the Chancellor around,” Cater huffed. “I bet they spend so long arguing with each other that they don’t even get around to threatening us.”

    “Sounds like Togoreth is our best bet then,” said Eight, putting a hand to his chin. “I’ll work on the logistics of getting everyone moved over there and what we need to do to make the place a stronghold again. It won’t be easy, but I think we can manage.”

    Nodding, the group turned back to Ace and Deuce, who both nodded back in acknowledgment of the consensus. There would still be much work to do when they got to Togoreth, but at least they had a plan for more permanent headquarters.

    “...Speaking of the Consortium, we received a message from Commandant Higato earlier,” reported Seven, pulling out a piece of paper from her pocket. “You can imagine what it says.”

    “You mean other than ‘return immediately’ and ‘this is all your fault, Class Zero’?” Jack drawled, a knowing smirk on his lips. “‘Cause I feel like it’d be too much to ask for well wishes from him.”

    Seven let out a thoughtful hum as she handed the paper over to Ace. “Well, there was one more thing he mentioned...regarding Deuce. The Consortium, and thus Akademeia, is currently in chaos because they no longer have the Chancellor’s leadership. He wants to try to get the rumors about Deuce dispelled to make it seem like they have control over us.”

    “...Rumors?” inquired Deuce softly.

    “Acey didn’t tell you yet, Deucey?” Cinque chirped. “Everyone thinks you’re Agito!”

    “W-What?” 

    Deuce’s eyes widened in surprise and she turned to Ace, who could only sigh at Cinque’s candid proclamation. The situation was a little more complicated than the younger girl had made it out to be, but technically Cinque hadn’t lied or said anything wrong. He had wanted to soften the announcement for Deuce though, considering she had just woken up and was a little anxious about everything.

    “The witnesses that saw you fight Cid Aulstyne, they said they saw a woman appear out of nowhere and rescue you when you fell,” Ace explained, hugging her to his side more firmly as he spoke. “They claimed she was a goddess. A goddess who saved you and granted you the powers of Agito.”

    “More specifically, they believe she was the goddess Etro,” said Queen, hand against her cheek as she spoke. “To be honest, I find it a little peculiar that they’ve attributed the powers of Agito to a Goddess of Death, but I suppose after what we’ve seen here, nothing is as we expected.”

    Trey gave a contemplative hum. “The archives unfortunately have little information on the old myths, especially those regarding Etro. Regardless, the witnesses believe what they believe. I suppose in the absence of understanding, people have the tendency to attribute such things to the divine. And news of your miraculous survival has already begun to spread, Deuce.”

    “B-But I couldn’t possibly—”

    Shaking her head, Seven let out a deep sigh. “It doesn’t matter, Deuce. You know better than any of us. People will believe what they believe...and right now, they believe that you are Agito—the prophesied savior of the world.”

    “But to be Agito…” murmured Deuce, shrinking in Ace’s hold at the thought. “I…”

    “Honestly, we don’t know much about it either,” Cater admitted, gaze softening at the sight of Deuce’s slightly distressed expression. “Doesn’t make much sense, someone suddenly becoming Agito. No one even knows what the heck Agito is!”

    Tilting her head, Rem placed a hand under her chin. “It’s true. Though we cadets all say we’re training to become Agito at Akademeia, no one truly understands what that means. We figure with enough studying and training, someone will obtain the powers of Agito, but it really is a mystery, isn’t it? Hmm...I guess for people outside of Akademeia, Agito serves as a symbol of hope that things will get better. Maybe that’s what they hope you’ll be, Lady Deuce.”

    “Whew, that’s...a lot of pressure,” said Jack, scratching the side of his head. “We’re already working on peace for the world, but becoming Agito too? That’s crazy.”

    “Ain’t Agito supposed to have special powers or something, yo?” Nine grunted, arms crossed as he leaned against one of the secured support beams near the tent entrance. “Maybe Deuce got some new powers or something in the explosion, hey.”

    Silence settled over the group as the others paused. With Deuce unconscious and all the work they had to do in the aftermath of the failed peace summit, no one had considered the possibility that there was even an ounce of believability in the witnesses’ statements about Deuce becoming Agito. But in light of all of the strange happenings lately, perhaps it wasn’t as far-fetched an idea as they originally thought.

    “Well...do you feel anything, Deuce?” Cater asked hesitantly.

    Eyes drifting to the hand in her lap, Deuce let out a shaky breath. “...No, I don’t think so… Nothing feels different. I’m sorry.”

    “Don’t apologize,” grumbled Ace, squeezing her hand. “It’s not your fault.”

    “Either way, we need to decide what to officially do about the rumors,” King reminded them before heaving a sigh. “If we deny the rumors, we estrange ourselves from the people who would hope for Agito and appear to be appeasing the Consortium. If we support the rumors and we don’t have Agito...”

    “We get in big trouble?” questioned Cinque, tilting her head puzzlingly as Trey gave a nod.

    “Yes...well, it will be more complicated than that, Cinque, but essentially yes, we will be in very, very big trouble,” Trey muttered, a grave tone in his voice. “It could jeopardize the Societas as well…”

    Seven nodded. “On the other hand, we could use the rumors to garner support and bolster our claim for peace. There couldn’t be a higher authority on peace than Agito, so confirming the rumors could give us some much needed support. People only need to believe that we have Agito on our side. As long as they believe, it won’t matter whether we actually have Agito or not. Still...” 

    “It’s a hard decision for sure,” Eight commented with a frown. “We don’t have a lot of time to make it either, given the Commandant’s demands.”

    Adjusting her glasses, Queen turned to the pair on the bed. “...What do you think, Deuce? This is about you, after all.” 

    “It’s...a lot to take in.” Deuce shifted in her spot, nervousness and uncertainty bubbling up in her chest now that everyone was staring at her, waiting for a response. “I don’t think I am Agito, but if everyone believing that I am could help us...still, I don’t want to lie...”

    “We don’t have to answer right away,” Ace reminded her, his voice soft and reassuring as he looked at her. “I don’t think any of us want to commit to a decision unless you agree to it, so…”

    “Ace is right. You will be the one most affected by this, so it’s only right that you make the decision,” said Seven, putting a hand on her hip. “Take some time to think about it, Deuce. We can deal with it later.”

    Jack hung his head, a sigh on his lips. “Man, it hasn’t even been two days since we’ve started this whole Societas thing and we already have to deal with such heavy stuff…”

 

* * *

 

    “You okay?”

    The sound of Ace’s quiet voice behind her drew Deuce’s attention and she turned her head slightly to meet his gaze. Putting the nightgown in her hands down on the chair in front of her, she took in a deep breath and nodded. “Y-Yes...I’m just trying to process everything from today…”

    “Mmm. Need to talk about it?”

    A small sigh left her lips as she felt his hands slide under her shirt from behind, his strong and slightly roughened fingers making their way around her waist to rest against her stomach. With a soft grunt, he set his head on her shoulder, pulling her closer before nuzzling her gently. His larger frame pressed against her back and her body relaxed just a bit in his familiar hold.

    “It’s just a lot to take in...I don’t know what to do,” said Deuce softly. “I feel like everyone has been working so hard and I can’t even make one decision…”

    “We’ve had days to deal with everything,” Ace rumbled, brow furrowing at the fretful tone in her voice. “You haven’t had that yet. No one is going to be angry at you for taking the time you need.”

    “Still…”

    Letting out a low growl, Ace shook his head and then nudged her lightly. “Don’t. Don’t you dare blame yourself for what happened. It wasn’t your fault.”

    In a way, she should have expected Ace to know what she was thinking, Deuce supposed. They had been emotionally entwined since childhood, even before the concept of being lovers entered their minds, and there was no one who understood her better. She turned in his hold to face him, the tenderness laced with worry in his deep blue eyes making her intended protest die on her lips. 

    “But I...”

    “I know. But we’ll be okay,” he assured her, lowering his head to press his forehead against hers comfortingly. “Whatever happens, we will deal with it. And I will be here to protect you, no matter what.”

    A flood of emotion rose in her chest at his words—the fear, anxiety, and guilt that plagued her since the news about everything drowned in the warmth and comfort his love provided—and she couldn’t help but shudder a little. His arms tightened instantly at her trembling and she drew closer to him, craving the comfort of his embrace.

    “Thank you…” she murmured.

    “You should rest,” Ace muttered before sliding his hands up the smooth skin of her back slowly. “Let me help you change. Don’t want you straining yourself.”

    Eyes focusing on Ace again as he moved his hands to the front of her shirt to undo the buttons, Deuce was suddenly reminded of the fact that he had been taking care of her for the entire time while she was unconscious. Even if Rem hadn’t attested to it, Deuce had known that he was there. He had watched over her despite his own duties; allowed her to cry into his shirt at the deaths that had occurred; kept her from falling apart in front of the others; and now, here he was, making sure she was okay, even though he was probably exhausted.

    “Ace...”

    “Hmm? Sorry, am I being too slow?” he inquired, pushing off her shirt with a hand. “I just don’t want to hurt—”

    He stopped, the feeling of her lips pressing urgently against his causing his thoughts to completely derail. Briefly registering the sound of her shirt crumpling onto the floor, he instinctively kissed her back, his hand on the small of her back as she pressed closer to him. Her arms came up his chest to his face, smooth fingers sliding along his clean-shaven cheeks, and he let out a grunt of approval.

    “What was that…?” he asked in a low voice when they parted, breaths still mingling together from how close they were as he met her eyes. 

    “Thank you for taking care of me,” Deuce answered quietly, acutely aware of the heat building in her belly from his intense stare. “I love you...so much.”

    A hint of a smile curled his lips and he leaned forward again to give her a softer, gentler kiss in response. Her body tingled delightfully at that. 

    Fingers curling slightly against his cheek, she drew back and gazed into his eyes again, her thoughts as clear to him as reading a book. His eyes widened at the unspoken request and he cleared his throat. “...Are you sure? You really should rest.”

    With a shy smile and a nod, she lifted herself up on her toes to kiss him again. “...I’m sorry it’s a bit late, but I would like that date,” she murmured against his lips, causing him to grin.

    “This doesn’t count,” he chuckled, grabbing her hip lightly. “But you’re still in charge tonight.”

    To that, she could only let out a small giggle and allow him to pull her in once more.

 

* * *

   

    “Shh…you’re going to wake him, little one.”

    At the sound of Deuce’s whisper, Ace stirred from his slumber and took a deep breath. Despite his lethargy, he could still pick up on the soft squeak that followed Deuce’s words and the feeling of being watched, and his eyes flickered open to meet a similar pair of deep blue eyes.

    “Wha…?”

    Triangular ears perked up and the small creature standing on his chest let out a tiny yip, its bushy tail wagging in excitement as it stared at him. Blinking the sleep out of his eyes, Ace gave the creature a bewildered look, causing Deuce to laugh quietly at his tired confusion.

    “Good morning, Ace,” said Deuce fondly before beckoning to the creature with the hand she had above the blankets. “Come here, Cero. Let him wake up first before you greet him, hmm?”

    Obediently, the creature padded over the covers to Deuce, curling under her arm and lying down on her chest while she gently stroked the light blue fur on its head and neck. Watching as the creature stretched and turned its neck to enjoy Deuce’s ministrations, Ace let out a sigh, his mind steadily clearing with every second that passed.

    “I’m awake,” muttered Ace at length, turning his head slightly to look at the two. “Who’s this?”

    “This is Cero!” Deuce replied, an adoring smile on her face as the creature looked up at Ace. “She just showed up in our tent this morning. I wonder how she got in.”

    “...You named her?”

    Deuce paused, causing Cero to lift her head curiously. “...I suppose so! I saw her and that name just popped into my head. She’s so very cute!”

    “Didn’t know you had an interest in getting a pet,” quipped Ace teasingly, a smirk on his lips as he leaned over to give Deuce a quick kiss. “I guess we’re adopting her?”

    Just then, Cero slid out from under Deuce’s arm and hopped onto Ace, causing the blond man to let out an uncharacteristic yelp of surprise. Tail wagging eagerly, Cero set her paws on his chin, yipping softly as she nuzzled and licked his face. Placing a hand on Cero’s head, Ace shoved her lightly to push her off of him, but the little creature’s excitement was simply too much for her to contain.

    Giggling at Ace’s inability to fend off the tiny, affectionate creature, Deuce reached over to help her partner, gently coaxing Cero to settle down between the two of them. Once a calmed Cero laid down on the bed again, Ace spluttered, wiping at his face.

    “She did that to me too when I woke up,” Deuce admitted, holding back another giggle. “She seemed really happy to see us.”

    “Well, that’s fine. Just don’t surprise me like that,” huffed Ace with a hint of amusement in his voice before placing a hand on Cero’s head again and rubbing it. There was something incredibly endearing about the mysterious little critter and its enthusiasm toward them and he couldn’t help but grin at the sound of Cero letting out a low, content purr under his fingers.

    His hand brushed against the horn on the creature’s head and he furrowed his brow slightly, a niggling sense of familiarity in the back of his mind suddenly becoming quite apparent. “...There’s something about her.”

    “Yes...but I can’t put my finger on what it is,” agreed Deuce as Cero looked up at her again. “Perhaps the others would know?”

     “I guess we’ll see.”


	4. The Authority of Agito

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On a mission to help the refugees from Cetme, the members of Class Zero discover more about the mysterious dark holes and Deuce's new connection to them.

“This is so weird…”

Crunching a particularly packed lump of snow under her boot, Cater tilted her head at the sight of Ace and Deuce walking ahead, the latter with Cero splayed across the back of her shoulders. To their sides, Machina and Rem guarded their right flank, while Nine stood on their left. Deuce had insisted that they go out and help the refugees that were affected by the attack on the summit, so they were making their way to Cetme and the main refugee settlement near the devastated city to investigate. 

“Hah? What is, Cater?” inquired Jack, hands placed behind his head lazily.

“This whole thing with Cero,” Cater responded, crossing her arms. “Trey and Cinque really seem to think that she’s an Eidolon, but who’s ever heard of an Eidolon that doesn’t have a summoner? And she’s been out of the Eidolon realm for a long time if she’s been here since before Ace and Deuce woke up. Even our longest-lasting Eidolons can only stay here for up to an hour.”

“Well, that just means she’s special, right? There’s still a lot we don’t know about Eidolons,” Jack said with a relaxed grin. “Besides, Queen said that she would examine Cero more closely when we get back. Bet she’ll be able to tell us something then.”

Cater let out a discontent huff. “I just can’t shake the feeling that there's something off…”

Shrugging, Jack watched as Ace paused, causing the others to stop walking. “Dunno about that.”

“You two doing okay?” Ace asked, sharp eyes scanning over Deuce and Cero quickly. “We’re almost there. Just past that ridge.”

Letting out a tiny yap, Cero wagged her tail in response, causing Deuce to smile gently. “She’s quite happy right now, it seems.”

“You can tell how she feels, Lady Deuce?” Rem chimed in curiously.

“Just call me Deuce, Rem! We’re all friends now,” answered Deuce as they followed Ace toward the ridge. “To be honest, it’s just a feeling, but—”

Just then, the clinking of armor rang out in the area and Deuce stopped as Ace stepped protectively in front of her and the others drew their weapons. They had all fought in the war against Milites long enough to know the sound of the Militesi troopers marching around. Watching carefully as the sound got closer, they could see a trooper turn around the corner of the ridge, rifle in hand.

Silently, Ace gestured to Nine, earning an understanding nod from the lancer before he bent down slightly and launched himself high into the air with a jump. Gasps of surprise left Machina and Rem at that. Some members of Class Second were able to jump in a similar manner to Nine, but few were as skilled or as strong as him.

“Hold it! Don’t move!” yelled the trooper once he had noticed them, rifle pointed at them threateningly. “I said don’t move!”

“Lower your weapon, soldier,” commanded Ace, the authoritative tone in his voice making the others straighten up just a little more. “We don’t intend to fight you.”

“You’re all from the dominion,” the trooper hissed, clutching his weapon tighter. “Haven’t you caused enough damage here? Leave!”

A dulled crunch of snow rang out behind the trooper and he turned slightly to see a spear point dangerously close to the side of his face. “Don’t think so, yo,” huffed Nine with a smirk.

“W-What do you want here?” asked the trooper, lowering his rifle slightly in recognition of his precarious position. “Cetme is already destroyed...”

Taking a step closer to the trooper, Ace stared at him, piercing blue eyes watching every tiny movement. “We’re making our way to the settlement for the Cetme refugees. Are you stationed there?”

“...Yes.”

“Who is your commanding officer?”

The trooper paused, lowering his rifle completely as he straightened up to adjust the mask covering his face. “Colonel Faith.”

“Tell your Colonel Faith that Commander Ace and Lady Deuce of the Societas Unitorum Pacis have arrived and wish to speak to him immediately,” Ace ordered as Nine brought his spear away from the soldier’s head. “We are here to help with your refugees.”

“...Y-Yes, sir!”

Wordlessly, the group watched as the trooper turned and jogged back through the snow toward the settlement. This move was their first official action in the name of the Societas, following the failed peace summit and subsequent necessary cleanup, and it was important for that reason. Coming to help the people that had lost everything in the explosion in Cetme was their first step in restoring order to Orience.

“Milites is still here?” Cater questioned, spinning her pistol in her hand. “I thought the army left.”

“The main army is gone, but King reported that a small group stayed behind to help the refugees against orders,” explained Ace. “It sounds like this Colonel Faith might be someone worth talking to if he’s the one who decided to stay. Still, be on guard. They will still see us as members of the dominion for at least a while and technically Rubrum and Milites are still at war.”

Cater sighed. “Right. Let’s get this over with.” 

 

* * *

 

“Commander Ace, Lady Ambassador Deuce.”

His voice calm and polite, Colonel Faith greeted them with a bow of his head as the group reached the entrance of the settlement. Flanked by two troopers and clad in the white and black uniform of a Militesi officer, the colonel exuded an air of authority, though his clean-shaven face and the light brown hair covering his forehead made him seem younger than his actual age in the mid-thirties.

“You are Colonel Faith?” inquired Ace, earning a salute from the man.

“Yes, Colonel Buddy Faith of the First Infantry Division, Third Regiment, sir,” Faith answered, his grayish eyes glancing at each member of the group. “I’m the presiding officer in this settlement. My scout reported that you intend to help us, Commander?”

Ace nodded. “This is Nine, Machina, Rem, Cater, and Jack. We’re here as representatives of the Societas Unitorum Pacis. Given what happened in Cetme, we thought you could use some assistance.”

“The Societas…?” A look of confusion crossed the colonel’s face briefly, followed by an affirmative nod. “I see. Then you are certainly welcome here.” Faith turned, gesturing to the larger tent with a large copper-colored MA beside it in the middle of the settlement. “Let us speak inside.”

As they followed Faith through the settlement toward the central tent, they could see the multitude of refugees scattered around the camp. The damage that resulted from the attack at the peace summit had been far-spread in the city, the outward explosion from the town hall sending shrapnel and shockwaves into nearby bystanders and structures. Many hadn’t survived and many others lost their homes and livelihoods. And they had ended up here, hiding from the monsters that now inhabited the destroyed city center, huddling around fire pits, and waiting in the ration line for food.

“How could Cid Aulstyne do something like this?” Cater asked quietly as they entered the central tent. “Set off a huge explosion in a populated city like Cetme...there’s so many people here.”

“To tell the truth, Lady Cater...I don’t know,” admitted Faith, sitting down in the chair at the head of the table. “I know that you will likely not believe me, but the Marshal Aulstyne that I know wouldn’t do such a thing. He is an ambitious man, but he would not sabotage the peace efforts and inflict such harm on Militesi citizens.”

Jack shrugged. “I’m still honestly not sure  _ how  _ he did all that. How did one guy do so much damage so fast?”

“I do not have a solid grasp of the situation myself,” Faith responded, brow furrowing as he spoke. “But I can tell you this: we officers were not told of a plan to attack the peace summit. Whatever happened there, it was not planned by Milites. In fact, shortly before the summit began, we were given orders by General Bashtar and General Raymond to pack up the camp and march back to Morina. My men and I were toward the back of the formation when we saw the explosion. That’s when we decided to stay back and assist the people of Cetme.”

Watching as Cater pulled out a small notepad, Deuce turned to the colonel, causing Cero to lift her head and stare at the man. “On that topic, Colonel Faith, how many refugees are here and what supplies do you require to assist them?” 

“At last count, we had 2,178, with more drifting in by the day. I suspect many of the ones who haven’t shown up have fled to other cities or died trying. But my men have their hands full just hunting enough food for all of the refugees and protecting the settlement. As for supplies...I know we are short on warm clothes, blankets, and food, but I’m not sure about the exact numbers. My quartermaster would know more.”

“Okay. What about personnel?” asked Ace. “You said your soldiers are busy.”

Faith paused, bringing a hand to his chin. “We could use a few medics and some experienced monster hunters. A squad of my men encountered some very hostile monsters in the forest. We lost a few and the rest barely managed to escape. I can’t fly my MA in the forest, so I’m not sure how the situation is. And so we haven’t been able to take care of the monsters...”

“We can help with both of those, Colonel,” Ace announced, the others nodding in response. “Cater will speak to your quartermaster and assess what supplies are still needed. Deuce and Rem are both trained medics, they will help with your injured and get information about those monsters. Once we have the information we need, we can go take care of your monster problem.”

“That would be much appreciated, Commander. We would be in your debt.”

Brow furrowing slightly, Ace stood and turned to the rest of the group, who followed suit. “Cater, Nine, go talk to the quartermaster and get a supply list for Eight. Deuce, Rem, Jack, and Machina, head to their medical tent and talk to those injured soldiers about the monsters. I’ll join you when I’m finished talking to Colonel Faith.”

“I’ll have people guide you all to your destination,” said Faith, standing up to walk to the entrance of the tent and poking his head out. “Lieutenant Anders! Sergeant Biggs!”

As the colonel barked orders to his soldiers, Ace grasped Deuce’s arm lightly, drawing her attention. “Don’t push yourself,” Ace reminded her in a low voice, eyes softening from the hard, commanding stare he used when talking to the Militesi soldiers. “You’re also still recovering.”

“I know,” Deuce answered softly, touching his cheek quickly yet affectionately. “I’ll be careful, Ace, I promise.”

“We’ll keep an eye on her, Commander,” Machina assured Ace with a dutiful nod.

 

* * *

 

The flap to the medical tent opened and Faith stopped, breaking the conversation he was having with a few uniformed soldiers as he watched the crimson-caped group file out of the tent. Walking toward the group, the colonel stepped forward to poke his head into the tent, letting out a relieved sigh at the sight of the healed soldiers inside. He stepped back, turning to the group again.

“Thank you,” Faith stated, bowing his head to the two women. “If you hadn’t come, I fear they wouldn’t have made it.”

“They will require a few days of rest, but they should all make full recoveries, Colonel,” Rem reported with a gentle smile. “Please make sure they are well fed and rested while they recover.”

Faith nodded. “Of course. Our medical officer is on top of that. Did they give you enough information about when they were attacked?”

“Based on the injuries and the descriptions they gave, your men were attacked by two doublicorns and a wendigo. One of them tripped over a hundlegs when they escaped,” Ace responded, sharp eyes surveying the settlement as he talked. “The forest they were in is a little way off, but we should be able to track and take care of the monsters soon if they are as large as your men described.”

“I wonder if Cero can sniff out the monsters,” Jack wondered idly, causing Cero’s ears to perk up. “She seemed really interested in those injuries.”

“She was just being curious,” Deuce said, rubbing Cero’s head lightly with a finger. “Isn’t that right, little one?”

Machina grinned, rubbing his forearm with a hand. “She’s a helpful little critter. I bet—”

“Look, Mom! It’s her!”

A sudden exclamation of amazement interrupted Machina and the group turned to see a boy, probably no older than 10 years old, grasping a woman’s coat and pointing at Deuce with his free hand. The woman turned, shock making its way onto her worn face as she spotted Deuce.

“Lady Agito!”

At that, hushed whispers went through the clusters of gathered refugees in the open area and many turned to look at Deuce and Cero. Shrinking slightly under the blatant scrutiny of so many people, Deuce subtly grasped the sleeve of Ace’s uniform and he stepped in front of her protectively.

“Jack, go get Cater and Nine,” Ace ordered, voice low. “We’re leaving.”

His mouth dropped open, Faith gawked in astonishment as Rem and Machina took Ace’s cue and shifted discreetly to cover Deuce from the stares of all the refugees. “You’re...you were the one at the summit, Lady Deuce?”

“Y-Yes…”

“Then...you’re the one they say has become Agito…”

Shooting a warning glare at Faith, Ace clenched his jaw slightly, causing the colonel to trail off. Eyes lingering on Cero, Faith took a step back, well aware of what Ace’s warning look meant.

“We’re ready, Ace!” proclaimed Cater as she returned with Nine and Jack, unaware of the tension in the air. “Let’s hunt some monsters!”

“Right. We’ll be off then, Colonel,” Ace muttered, turning and signaling to the group.

“W-Wait, Sergeants Biggs and Wedge will go with you,” Faith managed, still mildly dazed from the entire situation. “They can help you find the monsters’ den.”

Two of the soldiers nearby saluted, their sergeant insignias clearly visible on their armbands. Ace nodded, and they followed the group toward the gated entrance. As all of them walked through the settlement, it was clear that word had spread quickly through the crowds of refugees, many lifting their heads to look at Deuce and Cero. 

“This way, Societas,” said Biggs, the taller and thinner of the two soldiers, as he led them out of the gate and turned right towards an open field. “The forest the monsters were last spotted in is on the other side of this field. We haven’t seen them leave, so I assume they’re still somewhere within.”

Giving Sergeant Biggs a nod, Ace cleared his throat. “Lead the way.”

“So what’d you guys find out about these monsters?” asked Cater, putting a hand on her hip as they followed the two sergeants across the field. “How tough can these things really be?”

“We think that they were attacked by two doublicorns and a wendigo,” Ace replied, acutely aware of Deuce taking his hand and squeezing it for comfort. “The injuries looked fairly textbook for those types of monsters, but…”

“But what, yo?” Nine grunted. “We just gotta put ‘em down, heh.”

“They must have been pretty large with how wide and deep the soldiers’ injuries were,” added Machina. “Definitely larger than any of the ones we’ve seen in the dominion.”

Ace let out a deep sigh. “That’s not what concerns me. The soldiers themselves were sick.”

“Sick? From a monster attack?” Cater questioned, eyebrow quirked skeptically. “Their wounds got infected?”

“Yes, but not by anything biological…” Rem said quietly, careful to not draw the attention of the soldiers walking ahead of them. “...It was phantoma, seeping through their wounds into their bodies and causing them immense pain. It seemed to be causing hallucinations as well.”

Eyes widening, Cater looked at Rem with a baffled look on her face. “...Phantoma? How does that even work?”

“It wasn’t just any phantoma,” rumbled Ace, brow furrowed in thought. “It was black phantoma.”

“Black…? No one has black phantoma. That’s not a thing!” Cater whispered back. “How could it be black?”

“We’ll have to figure that out. I contained it. Hopefully Queen can tell us more when we get back,” Ace grumbled, lifting his gaze to look forward at the two sergeants leading them. “I have some thoughts on it, but it can wait. We should focus on the hunt.”

Nine grunted, punching his palm lightly. “Now you’re talking my language, yo.” 

“We’re here!” declared Biggs, stopping as they entered a forest thick with snowy trees. “Wedge, you got a bead on their trail?”

“Nah, the snow’s got the marks all covered up, Biggs,” Wedge mumbled, scanning the ground and then the trees. “Gonna be hard if they wandered off.”

Biggs crossed his arms. “Damn, should have brought a hunting Coeurl with us.”

Just then, Cero let out a squeak, nose wiggling as she jumped down from Deuce’s shoulders. Raising her head, Cero turned in a circle to examine the surroundings, tail swishing back and forth slightly while she wandered around on top of the snow. 

“Hmm? What is it, Cero?” Deuce inquired, her voice drawing the creature’s attention. “Do you see something?”

Facing Deuce, Cero squeaked again in response before turning to stare further into the forest. It was clear that something in the forest had piqued her interest. After a moment, Cero lifted her head to look at Deuce again, tail wagging patiently.

“That way, huh?” Nine huffed, spear materializing in his hands. “You got it, yo!”

With that, Nine dashed forward into the forest, causing Ace to roll his eyes and sigh. “...Well, I guess that’s as good a way as any.”

Cater snickered, shaking her head a bit. “That’s Nine for you. We better go see what’s over there before he gets himself into trouble.”

“Come along, Cero,” Deuce instructed, bending down to extend her arm to the creature. “Let’s go see what’s over there.”

Hopping up onto the proffered arm, Cero climbed up to Deuce’s right shoulder and sat down obediently. With another squeak, Cero turned to look in the direction Nine had run off in, large ears perked up.

Suddenly, a thunderous roar rang through the forest from the same direction. Glancing at each other quickly, the group ran toward the source, stopping as they came to a flat opening in the trees where Nine was cutting down a few floating eyes, their gaping mouths and bat-like wings tumbling into the white snow as he speared them through. Ahead of him stood a large opening in the hillside, a dark hole in the air visible up above the entrance of the cave.

“Nine, to your left!” yelled Cater, raising her pistol.

At Cater’s shout, Nine dived to the right, narrowly avoiding a swipe from the bipedal giant that was coming out of the brush. Rolling over his shoulder, Nine landed back on his feet, spear pointed at the large wendigo stomping into the light of the opening. The monster towered over Nine, the thick plate-like growths on its fists and around its neck gleaming as it roared and exited the darkness of the trees.

“Think we found whatever was making all the noise…!” Jack yelped, clutching the sheath at his hip as he, Machina, and Rem rushed forward to join Nine and Biggs and Wedge began firing at the monster with their rifles.

Head turning toward the cave, Cero let out a low growl in Deuce’s ear and Deuce paused in the middle of raising her flute. “Cero?”

“Keep your guard up,” Ace warned, running forward as another roar came from the cave.

A doublicorn emerged from the opening, the two horn-like growths from its back that the species was named after sliding against the rocks of the entrance as it crawled out. Letting out a sonorous roar, the doublicorn bared its bloody teeth, its attention fixed on Ace as he stepped in front of it.

“What the—?” Cater cried out, firing one more shot at the wendigo and then turning to the doublicorn. “You’ve gotta be kidding me!”

“We can do it!” said Deuce, putting her flute to her lips. Music filled the area, the empowering magic from Deuce’s notes spreading to the group as they fought the monsters. 

“Duck!” Machina shouted, bending at the waist to dodge the wendigo’s swing before gripping his drill rapiers tighter and stabbing them into the monster’s leg. “Watch out!”

The wendigo shrieked, thrashing its arm and throwing Nine backward into the air. With a dull thump against the snowy ground, Nine landed onto his back behind Ace and groaned. Turning his head, Ace glanced at Nine and grumbled under his breath before turning back and casting a Wall spell to block the doublicorn’s attack.

“Nine, get up!” Ace hissed, reaching back to grab the lancer’s arm and pulling him up. “Jump onto the wendigo’s back! Jack, come here!”

“Got it!” Jack hollered back, slashing the wendigo’s fingers as it grabbed at him. “Be right there!”

A crackle of lightning burst out from Rem’s fingers and the wendigo howled in pain, its arms flailing as Nine leapt into the air. Instantly registering Nine’s jump, Machina sliced the monster’s leg, forcing it to kneel and Nine landed on its shoulders, stabbing his spear into the exposed back of its neck. 

“Go down, yo!” Nine snarled, twisting his spear and pushing it further into the wendigo’s neck.

Breathing out deeply as magic built in his body, Ace extended a hand and his cards unfolded from the deck, spinning around in a circle in front of him. “Jack!” 

With a nod, Jack slashed the doublicorn across the leg and shuffled to the side as a blast of laser-like magic shot past him. The doublicorn let out a loud, strangled roar, backing into the cave from the intensity of the magic. 

All of a sudden, the music in the air changed, taking on a harsher and quicker tone, and Ace turned, eyes wide with alarm at the sight of Deuce and Cater backing away from another doublicorn, this one even bigger than the one he and Jack had been fighting. “Deuce!” 

The second doublicorn raised a giant paw into the air to strike, only to hit a magical barrier as it swung down. Snarling, it pressed down on the barrier, causing Cero to growl back. Magic flaring, Deuce played a hard note and the doublicorn staggered backward, stunned from the blast.

“Good girl, Cero!” Cater said in a hushed tone before shooting the doublicorn in one eye.

“Watch it, yo!” Nine called out, throwing his spear and hitting the monster in the other eye. 

Blinded, the doublicorn roared in pain, shaking and flailing about with its tail whipping around and hitting the barrier repeatedly. Then, it went silent, a gash along its neck pouring out blood, and its body collapsed onto the ground with a thud.

Catching his card out of the air, Ace sighed heavily and turned to Deuce and Cero. “You okay?”

“Yes, we’re okay,” Deuce replied with a relieved smile. “Cero really helped us!”

“Good job, Cero,” Ace remarked, petting the blue-furred creature on the head and earning a happy yip in response.

“W-What...what just happened?” asked Wedge, his hands shaking slightly even as he held his rifle. “Those monsters were huge!”

“No wonder that hunting party almost didn’t make it back,” Biggs responded, lowering his weapon to watch Ace and Jack examine the second doublicorn’s corpse. “But these dominion kids…”

“Cater, take a look at this!” Jack called out, drawing the gunner’s attention.

Hand on her hip, Cater turned from staring at the black hole above the cave to see Ace reach out with his left hand. Black wisps materialized out of the doublicorn’s body, forming a thick strand through the air to his hand as he magically manipulated the phantoma. Shortly after, two more strands appeared, one from the dead wendigo and another from the slain doublicorn in the cave.

“Be careful, Ace,” Deuce murmured. “This phantoma is…strange.”

“I can’t believe it!  _ Black  _ phantoma…” Cater uttered, shaking her head slightly. “How…?”

“I’m not sure,” admitted Ace, pulling a corked bottle out of his satchel and handing it to Deuce. “But we can’t risk having it floating around.”

Deuce opened the bottle and he closed his hand, pulling the phantoma out of the bodies and pushing the wispy black mass into the container. Letting out another sigh as Deuce closed the bottle and placed it back into his bag, Ace narrowed his eyes at the black hole above the cave.

“You think that could be the source of the black phantoma, Ace?” inquired Jack, putting his hands behind his head in a relaxed stance. “If the monsters were hanging around here...maybe they got infected or something.”

“Maybe. And the soldiers might have gotten their wounds infected after,” Ace rumbled, finger on his chin in thought. “But until we get Queen and Quon to look at it, I won’t assume anything.”

Rem tilted her head. “It’s like the one in Cetme…I wonder if it’s connected.”

“It is really similar to the one we saw in Cetme,” Cater commented, watching as the dark hole seemed to swirl. “But if it is like that one, then we can’t do much about it…”

“...Uhh, Lady Deuce, why is your hand glowing?” Machina questioned, eyes wide while he gestured vaguely at her hand. “Are you casting something…?”

The others turned as Deuce raised her left hand, confusion written on her features at the telltale sign of magic being built within her. “I...I don’t…Cero?”

Gaze focused on the black hole, Cero let out a short howl. White wisps of magic swirled around Deuce’s hand and she gasped at the heat rising in her body. Then, a radiant beam of light shot out from her hand, hitting the dark hole and causing it to dissipate in a smoky black swirl. Slowly, the others turned back to Deuce and Cero, eyes wide with shock.

Tail wagging, Cero turned to Ace, an almost expectant look on her face. When he only stared back at her, Cero let out a small whine, breaking the stunned silence that had fallen over the group.

“W-What...what the hell was  _ that _ , yo?” asked Nine, waving his hands wildly at Deuce. “Since when have you been able to do that, Deuce?”

“I don’t...I don’t know...” Deuce replied, still clearly in shock as Cero hopped down from her shoulder into Ace’s arms and begged for attention. “I didn’t…”

Shaking his head slightly in disbelief, Machina turned to Rem. “Wow, that was something else!”

“It seems like that black hole completely vanished...” Rem observed, taking a quick look back up to where the hole was. “We tried so many things in Cetme, yet that magic was able to close it...”

“So...are we still thinking that Deuce isn’t Agito?” Jack drawled, an amused tone in his voice. “‘Cause that was some crazy magic.”

“Even if Cero had something to do with it, Deuce cast the magic!” Cater said, nodding her head. “That’s gotta mean something!”

His hand petting Cero’s head gently, Ace watched carefully as Deuce turned to him in the middle of the others clamoring in excitement. He nodded wordlessly, understanding exactly what she wanted and stepping over to her side, and she let out a relieved yet tired sigh. Glancing at Cero snuggling into Ace’s arm with a soft and content purr, Deuce smiled.

“I guess we should head back and tell the colonel his monster problem has been solved,” Ace muttered just loud enough for the group to hear. “Then we can go back to camp.”

“Yeah, and Queen can tell us what happened!” added Cater.

“R-Right! Wedge and I will escort you back,” Biggs said, tearing his eyes away from the giant monster corpses. “Think you just solved two of our problems in one swoop, Societas. We’re grateful for everything you’ve done here.”

Jack grinned. “Well, that’s what we came here for!”

 

* * *

 

“This  _ is  _ unusual.”

Deuce fidgeted slightly in her spot on the examination table, unaccustomed to being the center of attention so much. Staring up at her, Cero stood still patiently next to her leg while Queen examined both of them meticulously.

“The phantoma?” asked Ace from his spot at the head of the table, his calm voice belying the restlessness in his body. “You see it too?”

Adjusting her glasses, Queen gave a brief nod. “Yes. Did you tell her about what had happened to her phantoma when we found her?”

“...I downplayed it. She had enough to worry about.”

“Ace told me that my phantoma was injured when you found me…” Deuce said softly as Cero lightly butted her hand for attention. “And that it was healing.”

Queen sighed. “Well, I suppose that is technically correct…but it was more severe than that.”

“More severe?” Deuce looked up at the bespectacled woman, eyes questioning. “How so?”

“Part of your phantoma had been torn out. Honestly, the condition your phantoma was in when Ace and the others brought you back...the tear should have severely impaired you, if not killed you outright. And yet, you were relatively fine,” explained Queen, looking at her notepad on the side table. “The reason you were unconscious for a couple days after the attack was that someone was in the process of sharing their phantoma with you and healing the tear in your phantoma.”

Rubbing the underside of Cero’s chin lightly, Deuce tilted her head in confusion. “Who? How would one even do such a thing?”

“That’s a good question. Why don’t you ask her?”

With a wave of her hand, Queen gestured at Cero, causing the little creature to squeak and tilt her head slightly. “Cero?” Deuce inquired carefully, earning a confirmation nod from Queen. Gently, Deuce slid her hands under Cero’s arms and picked her up. “Oh, thank you so very much, Cero!”

“She saved your life,” Ace added, resisting the urge to grin as Cero wagged her tail happily and licked Deuce’s face affectionately. “Her phantoma merged with yours, filling in the part that was torn out. That’s probably why she’s so attached to you.”

“Right now, I don’t know much about Cero herself, so I can’t confirm whether Trey’s hypothesis that she is an Eidolon is true or not,” Queen remarked, turning her head for a moment when the tent entrance opened and a tall man with long, dark hair tied back in a ribbon walked in. “Her phantoma is mixed with yours. While it is distinct enough to tell that it is not yours, there is too much noise to distinguish any details.”

“Either way, normal summoned Eidolons are bound by pacts to their summoners. As far as we know, Cero isn’t bound by a pact. She’s also been in this world much longer than any Eidolon the dominion has ever had.” Ace crossed his arms, his brow furrowing in thought. “If she is an Eidolon, she’s in a class of her own.”

“Quon, take a look at those phantoma samples that Ace brought back,” instructed Queen, pointing to the two bottles on the table in the back of the tent. “I’d like your opinion before we draw any conclusions about the black phantoma.”

“Black, you say?” the man said, eyebrows arched with interest. “How peculiar.”

Shifting to allow Cero to curl up in her arms, Deuce paused, a thought from earlier that week suddenly entering her mind. “...Queen, do you know why I can’t remember anything about when I was attacked at the summit? Rem said that my head was physically fine, but...”

“Yes, I suspect those memories may be tied to the phantoma that was torn away from you,” Queen answered before picking up a book from her side table. “While trauma can cause memory loss, I would not expect your psyche to have deemed your fight with Cid Aulstyne to be traumatic. You have seen your fair share of battle, after all.”

“Memories can be tied to phantoma?”

An affirmative hum on her lips, Queen nodded. “They are, in fact. Phantoma is the life essence in this world, the heart and soul of all living beings. Memories are part of that. According to the old myths, when one dies, their souls enter the realm of the dead and the memories within their phantoma are taken up by the Goddess Etro to maintain the cycle of life and death. Whether the rest of the myth holds any truth or not, we have seen memories held within phantoma in the laboratory, so we know that much is true.”

“These phantoma samples…” Quon muttered, drawing the others’ attention. “They have no definition. Who did they belong to?”

“No one. The first sample came from wounded soldiers in the refugee camp near Cetme. The second came from the monsters that injured those soldiers,” responded Ace. “The soldiers we harvested the phantoma from were showing signs of mental and physical illness.”

Quon put a finger up to the side of his head, a contemplative expression replacing the bewildered expression on his face. “That is unsurprising. This phantoma is unlike the usual types of phantoma we deal with. It is undefined and has no identity. I would expect this phantoma to corrode normal phantoma, infecting it and causing it to lose its definition over time. Your wounded soldiers may have been showing signs of this phantoma corruption.”

“That might also explain the reports from our troops that were investigating the black hole in Cetme,” Queen commented, crossing her arms. “It’s likely that this black phantoma has been leaking out of these holes we’ve been seeing and infecting every living being around. The troops weren’t exposed to the black phantoma for very long, but perhaps even mild exposure is enough to cause symptoms.”

“Indeed,” agreed Quon.

Biting her lower lip, Deuce raised her head from watching Cero. “That means we should close these holes as soon as we can, right? Before they hurt more people.”

“The only other one we know of is the one in Cetme,” Ace rumbled, reaching over to grasp the hand Deuce had on the table. “We’ll have to go with some troops though. King’s people have been reporting more and more monsters appearing in the city.”

“Can we go as soon as possible, Ace?” asked Deuce, her turquoise eyes meeting his. “If it will help everyone…”

A smirk curled his lips and Ace squeezed her hand. “Yeah. You’re playing the part of Agito better and better by the moment, Deuce.”

“Mmm...don’t tease me like that, Ace,” Deuce mumbled, blushing lightly at the teasing tone in his voice. Regardless, she squeezed his hand back approvingly.

“How should I tease you then?”

“As much as I approve of healthy displays of affection, I would prefer that you do so in the privacy of your own tent,” Queen said blandly, interrupting the two. “Quon and I are going to run some experiments on these samples.”

Chuckling a bit, Ace wrapped an arm around Deuce’s waist, lifting her off of the examination table as Cero hopped onto his shoulder. “All right, we’ll let you get back to work, Queen.”

Watching Ace and Deuce exit her work tent, Queen adjusted her glasses again and let out another sigh before turning back to face Quon. Despite all the questions they had answered in the past few days, there were always more when it came to phantoma and its connection to everything.

“Did you tell them?” Quon inquired, looking up from the samples. “About the conditions for phantoma merging.”

“...No. We don’t have an explanation yet,” Queen replied, her violet-hued eyes scanning her notes as she spoke. “Besides, what would I say? ‘She must have some direct connection to you for your phantomas to have even been able to merge’?”

“Hmm. I see your point. It would raise more questions, none of which we can answer at the moment. But it does make you wonder.”

“Yes….yes, it does.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have returned! :D
> 
> Between getting sick, traveling, and working more, I've had less time to work on writing the past few months, so thank you all for your patience.
> 
> The story is finally through most of the exposition-y bits and starting to ramping up, so I'm hoping for more motivation to write and more consistent updates, but we'll see if life and work let me manage. XD


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